Now Time News: April 2019

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Trade war: What you need to know about US-China talks

Talks appear to be reaching the final stretch though both sides remain divided on several key issues.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2vuHl5H

Australian Senate candidate Steve Dickson quits over strip club videos

Footage showed aspiring Australian senator Steve Dickson groping women and making derogatory remarks.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2V7z1In

San Diego synagogue attack suspect 'evil', says his family

Lori Kaye was killed after shielding her rabbi from a gunman who opened fire at a Passover service.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2LqmVWr

US Army veteran 'planned to bomb Nazi rally'

The 26-year-old Muslim convert also allegedly plotted terror attacks on Jews and churches.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2WcVvE9

Boeing safety system not at fault, says chief executive

Dennis Muilenburg says a safety mechanism was only one factor in two fatal Boeing plane crashes.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2vsjIui

'Our water pollution is a cancer'

"Waterkeeper" Nabil Musa fights Iraq's water crisis, which he calls the country's gravest threat yet.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2UQTSuB

Rabbi describes seeing synagogue attacker

A rabbi who was injured in the deadly shooting at a synagogue near San Diego on Saturday has described the moment he faced the gunman.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2WfDjtM

'Russian spy whale'

A beluga whale was found with suspicious equipment off Norway's coast

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2WfNGgW

Heavy flooding hits eastern Canada

Thousands of people were told to evacuate after rising floodwaters breached a dyke following heavy rain.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2Lbt7kS

How one woman beat mining giants and saved rare snow leopards

A woman from Mongolia has won the Goldman Environmental Prize after a campaign to stop mining firms destroying a critical habitat for snow leopards.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2UMgIDr

Indonesia floods: Dozens killed in floods

Flooding caused by torrential rains has killed nearly 40 people and left thousands homeless in Sumatra.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2LcXFTf

UK university puts stress-busting dogs on staff

A university has taken on five "canine teaching assistants" to tackle student anxiety.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2GPH2rc

Norway finds 'Russian spy whale' off Arctic coast

A tame beluga wearing a Russian harness is thought to have come from a Russian navy facility.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2J1c9CZ

North Korea TV revamps weather report

North Korean state TV introduces a more casual, modern-looking weather broadcast.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2GRp6hm

Korean elderly back road safety seats

A city in South Korea has put out special seating for older people at road crossings.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2PzLLBw

Japanese Emperor Akihito's human touch

Emperor Akihito will be remembered as the man who began the modernisation of Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2ZNOA6P

Jeopardy: How a pro gambler 'cracked' US game show

Sports bettor James Holzhauer's unusual strategy is paying off as he crushes Jeopardy records.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2L8O5k9

'We are students thanks to South Africa's #FeesMustFall protests'

What has changed since mass protests led South Africa to announce free education for poor university students?

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2J31asB

How tech is bringing Israelis and Palestinians together

Young people on either side of a decades-old conflict seldom meet, but tech is building bridges.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2vrILxN

Sri Lanka attacks: Where else in the world have face coverings been banned?

Following the Sri Lankan ban, BBC Reality Check looks at other countries that have imposed either a partial or complete ban on face coverings

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2Vxuj6a

India student leader 'a symbol of protest' against PM Modi

Kanhaiya Kumar has emerged as an outlier in an election being seen as a battle for India's identity.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2UT7bL2

Samsung sees Q1 profit plummet 60%

Samsung’s Q1 earnings are in and, as the company itself predicted, they don’t make for pretty reading.

The Korean giant saw revenue for the three-month period fall by 13 percent year-on-year to 52.4 trillion KRW, around $45 billion. Meanwhile, operating profit for Q1 2019 came in at 6.2 trillion KRW, that’s a whopping $5.33 billion but it represents a decline of huge 60 percent drop from the same period last year. Ouch.

Samsung’s Q1 last year was admittedly a blockbuster quarter, but these are massive declines.

What’s going on?

Samsung said that sales of its new Galaxy S10 smartphone were “solid” but it admitted that its memory chip and display businesses, so often the most lucrative units for the company, didn’t perform well and “weighed down” the company’s results overall. Despite those apparent S10 sales, the mobile division saw income drop “as competition intensified.” Meanwhile, the display business posted a loss “due to decreased demand for flexible displays and increasing market supplies for large displays.”

That’s all about on par with what analysts were expecting following that overly-optimistic Q1 earnings forecast made earlier this month.

The immediate future doesn’t look terribly rosy, too.

Samsung said the overall memory market will likely remain slow in Q2 although DRAM demand is expected to recover somewhat. It isn’t expecting too much to change for its display business, either, although “demand for flexible smartphone OLED panels is expected to rebound” which is where the company plans to place particular focus.

On the consumer side, where most readers know Samsung’s business better, Samsung expects to see improved sales in Q2, where buying is higher. It also teased a new Note, 5G devices — which will likely limited to Korea, we suspect — and that foldable phone.

The Galaxy Fold has been delayed after some journalists found issues with their review units — TechCrunch’s own Brian Heater was fine; he even enjoyed using it. There’s no specific mention in the quarterly report of a new launch date but it looks like the release will be mid-June, that’s assuming what AT&T is telling customers is accurate. But we’ll need to wait a few weeks for that to be confirmed, it seems.

Samsung says it will announce a revised launch date for the Galaxy Fold in the next few weeks.
Executives are speaking on a 1Q earnings conference call.

— Tim Culpan (@tculpan) April 30, 2019

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2vt1Dwv

Jungle Ventures hits $175M first close on its third fund for Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem is set to get a massive injection of funds after Jungle Ventures reached a first close of $175 million for its newest fund, TechCrunch has come to learn.

Executives at the Singapore-based firm anticipate that the new fund, which is Jungle’s third to date, will reach a final close of $220 million over the coming few months, a source with knowledge of the fund and its plans told TechCrunch. If it were to reach that figure, the fund would become the largest for startup investments in Southeast Asia.

Jungle Ventures declined to comment.

An SEC filing posted in December suggested the firm was aiming to raise up to $200 million with the fund. Its last fund was $100 million and it closed in November 2016. Founding partners Anurag Srivastava and Amit Anand started the fund way back in 2012 when it raised a (much smaller) $10 million debut fund.

Digging a little deeper, our source revealed that the new Jungle fund includes returning LPs World Bank affiliate IFC and Cisco Investments — both of which invested in Jungle’s $18 million early-stage ‘SeedPlus’ fund — and Singapore sovereign fund Temasek. One new backer that we are aware of is German financier DEG although we understand that Jungle has spent considerable time fundraising in the U.S. market, hence the SEC filing. Beyond Europe and the U.S, the firm is also said to have pitched LPs in Asia — as you’d expect — and the Middle East.

Jungle is focused on Series A and Series B deals in Southeast Asia with the occasional investment in India or the rest of the world where it sees global potential. One such example of that is Engineer.ai, which raised $29.5 million last November in a round led by Jungle and Lakestar with participation from SoftBank’s AI unit DeepCore.

Jungle Ventures founding partners (left to right): Anurag Srivastava and Amit Anand

The meat and drink of the fund is Southeast Asia, and past investments there include cloud platform Deskera (most recent round $60 million), budget hotel network Reddoorz (raised $11 million last year), fintech startup Kredivo (raised $30 million last year) and digital fashion brand Pomelo, which has raised over $30 million from investors that also include JD.com.

In India, it has backed b2b sales platform Moglix and interior design startup Livspace among others. Past exits include Travelmob to HomeAway, Zipdial to Twitter, eBus to IMD and Voyagin to Rakuten.

We understand that the new fund has already completed five deals. Jungle’s pace of dealmaking is typically half a dozen investments per year, and we understand that will continue with fund three.

Executives at the fund are bullish on Southeast Asia, which is forecast to see strong growth economic growth thanks to increased internet access and digital spending. A much-cited report from Google and Temasek issued last year predicts that the region’s ‘digital economy’ will triple to reach $240 billion from 2025.

A 2018 report from Temasek and Google predicts significant growth in Southeast Asia’s digital economy

Other major VC funds in Southeast Asia include Vertex Ventures ($210 million fund), Golden Gate Ventures — $100 million and a $200 million growth fund — Openspace Ventures ($135 million), and EV’s $150 million growth fund.

There’s also B Capital from Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin which recently passed $400 million for the first close of its second fund, although that doesn’t invest exclusively in Southeast Asia, and Sequoia which has a $695 million fund for India and Southeast Asia. Other global names that you might see cutting deals in the region include Burda, which has a local presence and starts at Series B, TPG Global and KKR.

Update 04/29 19:50 PST: The original version of this article has been updated to correct that Jungle invests in around a dozen companies per year, not per month.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2VugbdT

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein submits resignation

04/29/19 2:26 PM

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

'Boyz n the Hood' director John Singleton dead at 51, family announces

04/29/19 1:38 PM

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Michael Avenatti pleads not guilty in federal wire, bank fraud case; trial to begin on June 25

04/29/19 10:34 AM

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

First images emerge of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in five years, intelligence group says

04/29/19 9:30 AM

Rod Rosenstein hands in resignation letter Monday - CBS News

from Top stories - Google News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW2jCYukkRg

Gold Prices Gain on Weak China PMI Data - Investing.com

from Top stories - Google News http://bit.ly/2GK04iP

Switch to Barclays Center not reason for Islanders' second-round hole - New York Post

Switch to Barclays Center not reason for Islanders' second-round hole New York Post
Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily - Hurricanes rally to stun Islanders ESPN
The Islanders' Best Hope Against The Hurricanes Is A War Of Attrition Deadspin
Herrmann: Lehner knows series is far from over Newsday
New York Islanders Need to Leave Panic Button Alone FanSided
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://nyp.st/2LqPTp9

Perceptions, Priorities, And Prejudices: America's Current Enemy

While the incumbent, President of the United States, successfully campaigned, in 2016, using the slogan, Make America Great Again, it seems, to many, that message was far, more focused, on dividing this nation, than unifying us, and/ or, maintaining our greatness! Let's refer to these, as the 3 P's of weakening our country, because, when, politicians appear to skew/ falsely state priorities, provide and feed perceptions (rather than proceeding in a relevant manner), and articulate a message, based on false/ empty promises, and rhetoric (focused on pitting people, against each others), America, and Americans, are the losers! While, it is true, we...

from News and Society Articles from EzineArticles.com http://bit.ly/2VzpHfJ

Critical Thinking: Is 'Climate Change' Just Another Way For The Establishment To Enslave Humanity?

In recent weeks, a lot of 'activists' have been holding up traffic and laying on the ground, amongst other things, in order to get their point across. To these people, it is crystal clear that the planet is not in a good way, which is why they are going out of their way to get this point across to as many people as possible.

from News and Society Articles from EzineArticles.com http://bit.ly/2LdrhA3

White House says will reappoint Puerto Rico oversight board

The White House said on Monday it will ask the U.S. Senate to confirm the current members of Puerto Rico's federally created financial oversight board after creditors of the bankrupt island successfully challenged the appointments on constitutional grounds.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2GHExr2

FBI says received vague tips ahead of deadly California synagogue shooting

The FBI said on Monday it received multiple tips about a security threat minutes before a gunman opened fire in a California synagogue, killing a woman and wounding three others, but lacked sufficient details or time to prevent the attack.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2GT2jBG

Senators urge regulators to quickly approve drone identification rules

Two U.S. senators on Monday urged U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to finalize a long-delayed rule that would require the remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems, or drones.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2XZLY41

Trump directs officials to toughen asylum rules

U.S. President Donald Trump directed officials to toughen rules for asylum seekers on Monday, including by introducing a fee for their applications and barring those who entered the country illegally from working until their claims are approved.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2IPMfD2

U.S. Army veteran charged with plotting to bomb white nationalist rally

A U.S. combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan who prosecutors say plotted to detonate multiple nail bombs at a Los Angeles-area white nationalist rally, seeking to cause mass casualties, was arrested in an FBI sting operation, federal prosecutors said on Monday.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2UJjmtC

U.S. film director John Singleton dead at age 51

John Singleton, who made his directorial debut with the acclaimed film "Boyz n the Hood" about young men struggling in a gang-ridden Los Angeles neighborhood, died on Monday at the age of 51, his family said, days after he suffered a stroke.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2XVGhUm

New York officials hit back at Trump over backing NRA

New York's governor assailed President Donald Trump on Monday for backing the National Rifle Association in its dispute with the state, accusing the U.S. leader of being afraid of the powerful gun lobby.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2GRMjQr

U.S. youth suicides up after Netflix show, cause unclear: study

Suicides by young Americans rose by nearly a third in the month following the 2017 debut of popular Netflix television drama series "13 Reasons Why," in which a teenage girl kills herself, a U.S. study showed on Monday.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2UN0LwW

Wayne LaPierre re-elected NRA chief, survives power struggle

Wayne LaPierre was re-elected chief executive and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association on Monday, surviving a power struggle in which he was challenged by former NRA President Oliver North, who stepped down over the weekend.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2ZHNs4q

Pentagon approves 320 more personnel to Mexico border

The U.S. military said on Monday it would send about 320 Defense Department personnel to the border with Mexico in roles that would increasingly put them in contact with migrants, including driving them in vehicles and "monitoring" their welfare.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2LbJuOn

Democrats insist on 'substantial' new revenue for U.S. infrastructure

A day before heading to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump, top Democrats in Congress on Monday said a bill to boost U.S. infrastructure must be funded with "substantial, new and real revenue" to meet massive needs across the country.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2ZIqoCH

Trump administration eyes more aid to farmers if necessary: White House aide

The Trump administration is ready to provide more federal aid to farmers if required, a White House adviser said on Monday, after rolling out up to $12 billion since last year to offset agricultural losses from the trade dispute with China.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2J0LLco