Month: April 2019

China blasts ‘political persecution’ of Huawei as Canada goes ahead with exec’s extradition to US

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Ottawa has formally started an extradition process in the case of Huawei’s chief financial officer, who was arrested in Canada after being charged with circumventing US sanctions on Iran. China saw red over the move.

In a statement on Friday, Canada’s Department of Justice announced that it had issued “an authority to proceed,” thus “formally commencing an extradition process in the case of Ms Meng Wanzhou,” the Chinese telecommunication giant’s chief financial officer and the daughter of the company’s founder.

‘Ask Snowden’: Huawei exec pokes fun at US spying during tech show

Meng was arrested in Vancouver at Washington’s request in December. The US authorities have rolled out a long list of charges against Meng, which include bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit these crimes while allegedly breaching the US sanctions on Iran.

“An authority to proceed” is the first step in the extradition process, with Meng now set to appear in court on March 6, where a date will be set for her extradition hearing. The Canadian minister of justice has the final say on whether Meng will be handed over to the US.

The latest development in Meng’s case has dealt another blow to already strained relations between Ottawa and Beijing. China’s embassy in Canada has lambasted the move as politically motivated, saying in a statement that the Chinese side is “utterly dissatisfied” with how the case has been unfolding.

READ MORE: ‘Not an atomic bomb’: Huawei founder thanks Trump for helping to ‘promote’ 5G technology

“This is not a merely judicial case, but a political persecution against a Chinese high-tech enterprise. The subsequent developments have proved this,” the embassy said.

Meng’s lawyer David Martin has also cried foul at the decision, arguing that the charges against the Chinese executive were viewed by the US as a political tool to break an impasse in the China-US trade row.

“The president of the United States has repeatedly stated that he would interfere in Ms Meng’s case if he thought it would assist the US negotiations with China over a trade deal,” Martin said, referring to Donald Trump’s repeated remarks that Meng could be used as a bargaining chip to salvage stalled trade talks. Trump’s intervention was even criticized by Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who urged him in December to stay away from her country’s judicial process.

However, the warning seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as Trump doubled down last month.

“We’ll be talking to the US attorneys. We’ll be talking to the attorney general,” he said on February 22, when asked if the US might drop the charges against Meng to secure a trade deal. 

The Huawei saga comes at a time when Washington is pushing its allies to ditch the equipment provided by the Chinese tech giant, citing security concerns. The US reportedly offered financial incentives in the form of subsidies to those who would refrain from working with the world’s leading communications supplier. Speaking in Manila on Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo again stoked fears over the perceived dangers posed by Huawei, calling for the world “to have eyes wide open.” Huawei has dismissed allegations of spying for Beijing, accusing Washington of unfair competition.

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USSSA Pride to represent NPF in Italy

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Kissimmee, Fla. — USSSA is returning to Italy this May. The Pride will arrive in Rome on May 1 to participate in a four-game exhibition series against the Italian Women’s National Team, while also running a few coaching clinics in the process.

USSSA has continuously strengthened their presence internationally on the baseball side, making its mark in the European baseball market and USSSA Fastpitch has been following suit to strengthen its own international ties.

Last August, USSSA sent six Pride players overseas to share their softball knowledge with young Italian softball players around Milan during three-day instructional clinics. The Pride players visited three separate professional Italian softball venues and focused on basic fundamentals, while also getting a taste for Italian culture.

USSSA Pride third baseman, Andrea Duran, was among the six Pride players who traveled to Italy this past August to not only participate in the clinics, but ultimately promote the sport of softball as well as the NPF in and around Milan.

“The clinics we hosted last August went really well,” said Duran. “I was impressed by the talent of the girls and I was even more blown away by their eagerness to learn. They were all very coachable and committed to work hard for us every day.”

Clinics this May during the Italian Tour will feature hands on experience with local Italian coaches since the young players will be in school. Coaches will be instructed on practice routines and warm-ups the Pride players use themselves to prepare for the NPF season and hopefully learn some new techniques to implement year-round.

The USSSA Pride Italian Tour will kick things off in Montegranaro and make their way to Parma, Verona and end their trip in Milan.

The full roster has not been released as of yet, but Megan Willis will take the role of coach against the Italian National Team, the same role Willis took during the Pride Fall Tour back in October.

“I think this trip to Italy is going to be amazing for everyone involved,” Willis said. “The softball games are expected to be hard fought contests, and the coaches’ clinics should be amazing with an overwhelming amount of information.”

The USSSA Pride’s four-game series against the Italian National Team will take place May 2-5.

Not only is the experience an exciting one for USSSA, the Italian National Team has a chance to get back together and play top competition in preparation for this summer’s World Cup. Eager to play against the best, the International Softball Federation has made the decision to pause their season so that their national team players can compete in this exhibition series.

This is not the first time NPF players have made their way abroad; many NPF players have chosen to extend their three-month NPF season by joining the Japan Softball League. The biggest difference, apart from location, is that the Pride will be representing USSSA as a team.

The tour in Italy provides the Pride with a chance to put their own pre-season work in and face the top ranked team in Europe before the NPF season starts in June. USSSA is following the trend many professional sports leagues have executed such as the MLB in Australia and the NFL in London. Following the tour, USSSA will be responsible for the NPF in Italy.

Megan Willis, who has hosted a few clinics in France is no stranger to the European softball scene and hopes to strengthen USSSA’a relationship with European teams and players.

“It’s my hope that bringing the Pride to Italy will not only showcase our team’s talent, but also introduce the NPF” said Willis. “One reason baseball has been able to grow as a sport in Europe is with the help of MLB players. Being able to have that title and educate young athletes as well as coaches is huge.”

Andrea Duran also brings a perspective few can to the international game, participating in the 2008 Olympic games not to mention several World Cup Championships.

“I think it could be a very positive experience that brings us all closer,” said Duran “It is also a great opportunity to represent USSSA and to give back to the sport. The games in May are hopefully just the stepping stones to an even greater future in Europe that I am so grateful I got to be a part of.”

— Courtesy of the NPF

Nick Jonas And Priyanka Chopra Got Married

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After two separate ceremonies this weekend, Hollywood royalty Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra are officially husband and wife.

The bride shared photos and videos of their Hindu ceremony on Sunday, the day after a Christian celebration, reflecting how their relationship has been a blending of cultures from the beginning.

It’s been a whirlwind courtship since Chopra, an actress, singer, and Miss World 2000, was first seen publicly with musician and actor Jonas, 26, at the Met Gala last year.

There were several traditional pre-wedding celebrations, Vogue reported, including a mehendi session where Chopra’s hands and feet were decorated with henna by women of both families.

Earlier this week, Chopra’s mother held a puja, an Indian ceremony for “showing reverence to a god, a spirit, or another aspect of the divine through invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals.” Another pre-wedding party saw relatives and friends performing a dance, and haldi ceremony meant to ward off evil and bless the couple.

“People will need vacations after this wedding,” Chopra, 36, joked to Vogue.

Ralph Lauren, Chopra’s long-time collaborator, designed her custom wedding dress for Saturday’s Christian ceremony. The designer also outfitted Jonas, along with the couple’s bridesmaids and groomsmen.

It was a big family affair with Jonas’s brothers, Kevin, Joe and Frankie, along with Chopra’s brother Siddharth in the groom’s party, and Jonas’s dad Paul officiating, Elle reported. The couple exchanged Chopard rings, according to People.

The wedding was held at the jaw-dropping Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, India, which also hosted Sunday’s Hindu ceremony.

Fireworks, naturally

The couple made sure all the guests were equipped with a welcome kit that included “Indian Weddings For Dummies” and “Western Weddings For Dummies”, because they’re courteous like that, Cosmopolitan shared.

The night wrapped up with an impressive fireworks show.

In the lead-up to their twin ceremonies, Chopra and Jonas hosted several events that blended both of their backgrounds.

“One of the most special things that our relationship has given us is a merging of families who love and respect each other’s faiths and cultures,” Chopra posted on Instagram.

They got engaged in August after a year of dating with a traditional Indian roka ceremony in front of their families. Jonas also celebrated Thanksgiving in India with Chopra’s family.

With files from Maija Kappler

Chinese casino operator sued by former workers over trafficking, forced labour claims

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A group of construction workers are suing Hong Kong-listed Imperial Pacific and two other Chinese firms alleging they were victims of a human trafficking and forced labour scheme.

The lawsuit’s seven plaintiffs are seeking punitive damages to recoup high recruitment fees and and medical costs from injuries suffered on the job including severe burns and a partially severed finger.

These workers were among thousands of Chinese labourers brought to the tiny island of Saipan, a US commonwealth, in 2016 and 2017 to build a casino report owned by Imperial Pacific.

Job agents lured them to the tropical island with the promise of high wages and a green card if they paid recruitment fees of more than US $8,000 (£6,045), according to an amended lawsuit filed Friday in a US federal court in Saipan. Many borrowed money from loan sharks at high interest rates, using their property or homes as collateral.

But upon arrival, the men were forced to work 12-hour shifts, including at times around the clock for 24 hours, and not allowed to rest. Living conditions were squalid, and supervisors “forced them to pay fines if they did not work hard enough or arrived late,” according to court documents.

One manager, after beating up some workers, even threatened to kill employees if they disobeyed him. Those who suffered injuries given safety hazards and lack of job training were never taken to the hospital, and told they’d be arrested and deported given their temporary tourist visas and lack of proper work permits.

As China’s ambitions grow with its Belt and Road Initiative, a trillion-dollar infrastructure investment plan meant to boost its global clout, and a growth slowdown occurring back home, experts say more Chinese workers will be interested in seeking fortunes overseas and thus risk being tricked into illegal work.

About | Belt and Road initiative

“As the economy begins to slow in China and well-paid work is harder to come by for a lot of the unskilled workers, the option of going to work abroad again might become attractive, even though these problems of workers abroad is well-known," said Geoffrey Crothall of China Labour Bulletin, an advocacy group. 

Imperial Pacific won an exclusive gaming license in Saipan in 2014, after which Chinese investment skyrocketed. But after a Chinese worker died on the Imperial Pacific casino construction site in 2017, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the site and discovered illegal workers, along with hundreds of their passports locked in cabinets and documents listing employees as “heigong,” meaning illegal labourer in Chinese, according to court documents.

US labor officials investigated and announced settlements last March with four of Imperial Pacific’s construction contractors to pay $14 million in back wages and damages to 2,400 affected workers.

The companies were found by US authorities to have paid labourers far less than required by law, and failed to secure work authorisation by exploiting a visa waiver program that allows Chinese nationals to travel to Saipan, part of the Northern Mariana Islands.

For many of those workers, this was their first trip to the US and a shot at chasing the American Dream, several of them told the Telegraph last year, and still remained in debt given owed back wages and high fees paid to agents.

The two other Chinese firms listed in the lawsuit as defendants are subsidiaries of MCC, a Chinese state-owned enterprise, and Gold Mantis, a firm listed in Shenzhen. Neither of the companies, nor Imperial Pacific, immediately responded to requests for comment.

“Many foreign migrant workers suffer injuries and endure abuse, but have no access to a remedy,” Aaron Halegua, a New York attorney assisting in representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement. But “because these events occurred in a US Commonwealth, the plaintiffs are protected under US law.”

Red Cross denounces unsanctioned use of its emblems to smuggle US aid to Venezuela

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The largest international aid organization has demanded that activists at the Venezuela-Colombia border not use the insignia of the Red Cross, which isn’t participating in what Caracas has dismissed as a US “propaganda show.”

The Red Cross learned that some “people not affiliated” with the agency are trying to disguise themselves as aid workers to smuggle cargo for Venezuela’s opposition across the closed frontiers.

“They might mean well but they risk jeopardizing our neutrality, impartiality & independence,” the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.

Earlier, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza stressed that the UN and the International Red Cross are not participating in the “propaganda show” staged by the United States. “It is clearly an action with political objectives, it could never be described as a humanitarian action,” he said on Twitter, accusing the governments involved in the US plot of violating the principles of the UN charter.

The government of Nicolas Maduro has sealed off the borders with neighboring Colombia, Brazil and the Dutch island of Curacao, trying to prevent US shipments from entering the Latin American State. Caracas denounced the ‘aid’ as a highly-publicized attempt to foster division and chaos, and possibly to use it as a cover to smuggle arms to the country’s opposition.

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Measles surges to ALARMING levels in nearly 100 countries, consequences may be ‘DISASTROUS’ – UN

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As many as 98 countries, both wealthy and underdeveloped, have reported an unprecedented spike in measles, the UN children’s body has warned, blaming the rapid spread of the disease on anti-vax prejudice.

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, sounded the alarm about the spread of highly contagious diseases around the world on Friday, revealing that 98 countries reported a spike in measles cases last year. However, only 10 countries are responsible for that dramatic increase.

Anti-vax movement among TOP THREATS to global health, with HIV & Ebola, WHO says

The top by a large margin is Ukraine, where a whopping 35,120 cases were registered. The Philippines was second with an increase of more than 13,000 (from a little over 2,000 in the whole of 2017). Brazil, with a surge of 10,262 cases, trails far behind in third.

War-stricken Yemen, crisis-hit Venezuela, as well as Serbia, Madagascar, Sudan, Thailand and France have all made the top 10 list.

While there are several explanations for the sudden outbreak of the infectious diseases, like civil conflict, poor healthcare and general complacency, Henrietta Fore, executive director of UNICEF, argued that one of the most serious challenges is misinformation. This was an apparent nod to the anti-vaccine movement, which is gaining momentum in the developing as well as developed world.

In Ukraine, for instance, misinformation appears to be the cause, with UNICEF reporting that the hardest-hit area was the western Lviv region. It has not been affected by the country’s civil unrest, but “negative attitudes toward immunization, and previous shortages in vaccine supply, have resulted in low vaccination rates.”

Fore pointed out that there is a far greater risk of catching measles than Ebola, tuberculosis or influenza, as it is highly contagious. Likewise, it can be very hard to combat the disease, as there is no specific treatment apart from pre-emptive vaccination.

The vaccine against measles was introduced five decades ago, having been invented in 1963.

Fore said that there was “simply no excuse” for the measles outbreaks in places where the vaccine is easily affordable.
“Almost all of these cases are preventable, and yet children are getting infected even in places where there is simply no excuse,” she said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in January that the anti-vax movement or “vaccine hesitancy” is among the top threats to global health – on a par with Ebola and HIV.

However, peddlers of the anti-Russian narrative have made Moscow a scapegoat instead of looking closer to home. A recent report by the US government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty alleged that Russia had “eroded public consensus on vaccination” in the US.

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NASA May Use a ‘Tunnelbot’ to Search for Life on Jupiter’s Moon

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Scientists have proposed a way to retrieve samples from Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, which is believed to contain a liquid ocean underneath that could hold microbial life.

Andrew Dombard, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois (UIC), along with colleagues, presented a solution by using a nuclear-powered tunneling probe to go deep under the surface of the moon, according to a report by UIC.

“Estimates of the thickness of the ice shell range between 2 and 30 kilometers (1.2 and 18.6 miles), and is a major barrier any lander will have to overcome in order to access areas we think have a chance of holding biosignatures representative of life on Europa,” Dombard said.

Dombard and his group tested the concept for a “tunnelbot” that would be able to pierce through Europa’s shell made of ice, and go down far enough to hit the moon’s ocean. The bot would be comprised of technical devices that would have the ability to search for signs of life or extinct life, as well as testing the habitability of the moon itself.

“We didn’t worry about how our tunnelbot would make it to Europa or get deployed into the ice,” Dombard said. “We just assumed it could get there and we focused on how it would work during descent to the ocean.”

Dombard and his spouse, D’Arcy Meyer-Dombardd, who is also an associate professor at UIC, are both part of the NASA Glenn Research COMPASS team – a group of scientists and engineers who create designs and technological solutions for space and science exploration.

For more on Jupiter, check out these incredibly detailed photos from the Juno spacecraft taken earlier this year, and read about all the new constellations NASA named after Hulk, Thor, Godzilla, and other pop culture references.

Jessie Wade is a news writer for IGN and thinks planets, moons, and stars are such a wonder in the universe. Chat with her on Twitter @jessieannwade.

Swedish police officer arrests fugitive in sauna while both naked

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A policeman in Sweden seized a fugitive criminal on Friday evening while both were naked in a sauna, after stumbling upon him by chance.  

The officer was visiting the sauna, which is known in Sweden as a ‘bastu’, on his day off. 

He soon realised that one of the men sweating next to him in the crowded room was a convicted criminal who was on the run after being sentenced to jail for drugs offences.   

"By a coincidence, and in way that is quite comic, they both recognised each other in the sauna," Christoffer Bohman, deputy police chief in the Stockholm district of Rinkeby, told Sweden’s state broadcaster SVT. 

As the wanted man had also been found guilty of attempting to assault a public servant, the arrest was potentially dangerous.   

"It’s easier to take action when you have your colleagues with you, and all your tools and equipment," Mr Bohman said. 

"This was as stripped-down as it gets, and in more ways than one."   

The officer was saluted in a post on the Rinkeby Police’s Facebook page under the headline, "Naked Arrest". 

"To our dear colleague who kept your head cool when it was heating up to a potentially dangerous situation, despite being on your day off and relaxing in a spa," the post reads.   

"Despite finding yourself in a packed sauna with a wanted criminal, you kept your wits about you and carried out an arrest while considering what would be best for everyone, those in the area, the staff’s and the wanted man’s."   

The post was signed off: "We are everywhere. Even if you don’t see us, we are there."   

Wilber-Clatonia’s Parham Named MaxPreps/NFCA National High School Player of Week

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For her outstanding play, junior Taylor Parham of Wilber-Clatonia (Neb.) High School is this week’s MaxPreps/NFCA National High School Player of the Week for contests played September 21-27.

In four games last week, Parham hit .833 (10-for-12) with six doubles, six runs scored and two RBI. She slugged 1.333, recorded three multi-hit games and reached base safely in 11 of 13 plate appearances for an .846 on base percentage. Leading the Wolverines to a 12-4 victory over Blue Hill, the junior was 4-for-4, all doubles, with two RBI and two runs scored. She was also a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and run against Wayne. Parham crossed home plate twice versus Milford and scored the lone run in a 1-0 triumph against Southern.

MaxPreps.com, the official high school statistical provider of the NFCA, provides all statistics for the NFCA High School Player of the Week award. 
To nominate a player for the award, the coach must enter his or her athlete’s game stats into MaxPreps.com by Sunday evening to be eligible for that week’s award.

The MaxPreps/NFCA High School Players of the Week are announced on NFCA.org every Monday during the fall season, with one representative chosen from the participating regions. During the spring campaign, a player from each of five separate high school regions is selected.

Please note, in order for a school to have multiple player(s) recognized during the course of a season, a coach from that institution must be an NFCA member. To become an NFCA member, please check out NFCA.org or call 502-409-4600.

MaxPreps is a free stat tool that is available to high school coaches across the country and is one of the most recognized and respected high school athletics websites on the internet. Coaches who enter their team’s stats on Max Preps will not only be nominating their players for this award, but they will be getting their team’s information out to thousands of high school sports fans, as well as college coaches across the country. 

2015-16 Max Preps/NFCA Players of the Week
9/28 – Taylor Parham | Wilber-Clatonia HS
9/21 – Savannah Chalfant | Gilmer (Ga.) HS
9/14 – Madison Ingram | Bowling Green (Mo.) HS
9/7 – Riley Craig | Mountain Range (Colo.) HS
8/31 – Sieara Price | Eaton (Colo.) HS 
8/24 – Callyn Carter | Charlton County (Ga.) HS

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Opens With Solid $35 Million Opening Weekend

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse earned $35.4 million its opening weekend in the domestic box office.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Spider-Verse grossed $21 million overseas across 44 markets, netting it a $56.4 million global opening weekend. Its most successful overseas market was South Korea, where it earned $3.3 million, and the UK followed at $2.9 million. This runs against the film’s reported $90 million budget.

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Coming in second over the weekend is Clint Eastwood’s The Mule at $17.2 million, which he stars in, produced and directed. Over half of The Mule’s audience has reportedly been over 50 years old, and the film’s budget reportedly sits at $50 million.

Coming in third and fourth are returning films, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch ($11.6 million) and Ralph Breaks the Internet ($9.6 million). Mortal Engines came in at fifth place with a disappointing $7.5 million opening domestic weekend. While its global gross now sits at $42.2 million, Mortal Engine’s reported production budget of $100 million could be hard to recuperate.

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Though an overall healthy weekend for the box office, this holiday timeframe has taken a 60 percent revenue dip compared to the same weekend last year. This is due to Star Wars: The Last Jedi launching at $200 million domestically. However, THR reports that even with this dip, overall revenue for 2018 is still up nine percent compared to 2017.

Into the Spider-Verse enjoyed a $3.5 million opening night, and has received a positive reception from audiences and critics alike. In our review, we called Into the Spider-Verse “Amazing” saying, “Taking a bold departure from the Pixar animation style we’ve come to expect from mainstream animated films, Into the Spider-Verse delivers a dynamic visual experience unlike any other.”

For more on Into the Spider-Verse, check out our explanation of the end credits scene, and find out where it landed in our ranking of all the Spider-Man films.

 

Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.