USA Times
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump plan to meet in May for nuclear disarmament talks, a whiplash development that would put two leaders who've repeatedly insulted, threatened and dismissed each other in the same room, possibly in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.
It would have been an unthinkable suggestion just a few months ago, when the insults were at their peak - Trump was a "senile dotard" and Kim was "Little Rocket Man" - and the North was snapping off regular weapons tests in a dogged march toward its goal of a viable nuclear arsenal that can threaten the U.S. mainland.
Liberal South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who some believe has maneuvered the two leaders to this position, reflected the hope and relief many here feel about the planned summit when he declared Friday that it will be a "historical milestone" that will put the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula "really on track."
But there's also considerable skepticism. North Korea, after all, has made a habit of reaching out, after raising fears during previous crises, with offers of dialogue meant to win aid and concessions. Some speculate that the North is trying to peel Washington away from its ally Seoul, weaken crippling sanctions and buy time for nuclear development. It has also, from the U.S. point of view, repeatedly cheated on past nuclear deals.
And now the North has landed a face-to-face meeting with the leader of the world's most powerful country, a nation that Pyongyang has long sought to draw into talks that it hopes would establish a peace treaty to end the technically still-active Korean War and drive out all U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula, removing what the North says is a hostile encirclement of its territory by Washington and Seoul.
"Great progress being made," Trump tweeted after the South Korean national security director, Chung Eui-yong, emerged from a meeting with the U.S. president and announced the summit plans to reporters in a hastily called appearance on a White House driveway. That remains to be seen.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
WASHINGTON - Unswayed by Republican warnings of a trade war, President Donald Trump ordered steep new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. on Thursday, vowing to fight back against an "assault on our country" by foreign competitors. The president said he would exempt Canada and Mexico as "a special case" while negotiating for changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The new tariffs will take effect in 15 days, with America's neighbors indefinitely spared "to see if we can make the deal," Trump said. He suggested in an earlier meeting with his Cabinet that Australia and "other countries" might be spared, a shift that could soften the international blow amid threats of retaliation by trading partners.
Those "other countries" can try to negotiate their way out of the tariffs, he indicated, by ensuring their trade actions do not harm America's security.
Surrounded by steel and aluminum workers holding hard hats, Trump cast his action as necessary to protect industries "ravaged by aggressive foreign trade practices. It's really an assault on our country. It's been an assault."
His move, an assertive step for his "America First" agenda, has rattled allies across the globe and raised questions at home about whether protectionism will impede U.S. economic growth. The president made his announcement the same day that officials from 11 other Pacific Rim countries signed a sweeping trade agreement that came together after he pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership last year.
Though he focused on workers and their companies in his announcement, Trump's legal proclamation made a major point that weakened steel and aluminum industries represent a major threat to America's military strength and national security.
The former real estate developer said U.S. politicians had for years lamented the decline in the steel and aluminum industries but no one before him was willing to take action.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - In a newly released recording from the day of a deadly Florida school shooting, the parents of a 17-year-old girl tell a 911 dispatcher their daughter is texting from a classroom where the door's glass was shot out. Later, the student texts that police have arrived. After getting the rest of the message, the mother raises her voice, "Three shot in her room. Oh my God. Oh my God."
As a gun-control bill sits on the governor's desk, the Broward County Sheriff's Office released 12 minutes of radio transmissions from its deputies and a neighboring police agency highlighting the chaos during the Feb. 14 attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. That material also included 10 of the 81 recordings of frantic calls by students and parents to a 911 center.
The excerpts showed a deputy on school grounds first thought the loud bangs were firecrackers, then realized they were gunshots - yet he never ran toward them. Other responding deputies and officers desperately tried to sort through a chaotic scene, treat the injured, lock down the school and locate the shooter.
Three weeks after the Parkland high school shooting, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has a gun-control bill on his desk that challenges the National Rifle Association but falls short of what the Republican and survivors of the massacre demanded.
Now he must decide whether to sign it. Scott has not said what he will do, and he plans to take up the issue Friday with relatives of 17 people slain in the attack.
"I'm going to take the time and I'm going to read the bill and I'm going to talk to families," he said.
In the shooting's aftermath, Scott broke with the NRA. He had received top marks from the lobbying group in the past for supporting gun-rights measures, and his new stance reinvigorated the gun-control movement.
The governor, who is expected to seek a U.S. Senate seat later this year, has called for raising the minimum age to purchase any type of gun, but he does not support arming teachers.
Instead, he wanted lawmakers to adopt his own $500 million proposal to put at least one law enforcement officer in every school. The NRA opposes raising age limits to buy weapons or imposing new waiting periods. In a statement Thursday, NRA and Unified Sportsmen of Florida lobbyist Marion Hammer called the bill "a display of bullying and coercion" that would violate Second Amendment rights and punish law-abiding citizens.
State lawmakers formally delivered the reform package Thursday. The governor has 15 days to sign it, veto it or let it become law without his signature.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
HARTFORD, Conn. - Residents in the Northeast dug out from as much as 2 feet of wet, heavy snow Thursday, while utilities dealt with downed trees and electric lines that snarled traffic and left hundreds of thousands without power after two strong nor'easters in less than a week - all with possibility of another storm in the wings.
With many schools closed for a second consecutive day Thursday, forecasters tracked the possibility of yet another late-season snowstorm to run up the coast early next week.
"The strength of it and how close it comes to the coast will make all the difference. At this point it's too early to say," said Jim Nodchey, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Massachusetts. "We're just looking at a chance."
Snow was still falling Thursday in southern Maine, where the storm was expected to move on by midday.
More than 800,000 customers were without power in the Northeast, including some who have been without electricity since last Friday's destructive nor'easter. Thousands of flights across the region were canceled, and traveling on the ground was treacherous.
A train carrying more than 100 passengers derailed in Wilmington, Massachusetts, after a fallen tree branch got wedged in a rail switch. Nobody was hurt. Tory Mazzola, a spokesman for Keolis Commuter Services, which runs the system for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said the low-speed derailment remains under investigation.
In New Hampshire, Interstate 95 in Portsmouth was closed in both directions because of downed power lines, leaving traffic at a standstill.
Amtrak restored modified service between New York City and Boston on Thursday after suspending it because of the storm. New York City's Metro-North commuter railroad, which had suspended service on lines connecting the city to its northern suburbs and Connecticut because of downed trees, restored partial service Thursday.
Members of the Northeastern University women's basketball team pushed their bus back on course Thursday after it was stuck in the snow outside a practice facility in Philadelphia. The Huskies were in the city to compete in the 2018 CAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The team posted a video of the feat on its Twitter account.
Steve Marchillo, a finance director at the University of Connecticut's Hartford branch, said he enjoyed the sight of heavily snow-laden trees on his way into work Thursday but they also made him nervous. "It looks cool as long as they don't fall down on you and you don't lose power," he said.
The Mount Snow ski area in Dover, Vermont, received 31 inches of snow by Thursday morning with more still falling. The resort said the snowfall from the past two storms would set it up for skiing through the middle of April.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump raised concerns about the graphic depiction of violence in video games at a White House meeting Thursday with members of the industry and some of their most vocal critics.
Searching for ways to respond to last month's Florida school shooting, Trump has questioned the impact of video games, although decades of research have failed to find a link between gun violence and graphic depictions of violence in games. Meeting attendees said he sought to hear from all sides.
"He asked a lot of questions and he raised concerns with the violent nature of these games and asked the question: Is this causing the kids to have (this) violent behavior?" said Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo.
The White House put out a statement after the meeting, saying Trump "acknowledged some studies have indicated there is a correlation between video game violence and real violence." The statement included a link to a YouTube video with clips of video game violence.
While some studies have shown a connection between gaming and emotional arousal, there's no evidence that this heightened emotional state leads to physical violence.
Attendees offered opposing views after the meeting.
The Entertainment Software Association released a statement saying it had brought up "the numerous scientific studies establishing that there is no connection between video games and violence, First Amendment protection of video games, and how our industry's rating system effectively helps parents make informed entertainment choices."
Melissa Henson, program director for the Parents Television Council, a conservative watchdog group, said there is evidence that video games can "contribute to violent attitudes" or feelings of isolation. She said she sought to convey the challenges of keeping violent games away from kids "even for the most diligent parent."
She described the meeting as a listening session, saying there were no decisions about next steps.
"I don't think there are easy answers and I don't think that we're going to be able to figure out the solution in the course of a one-hour conversation," Henson said.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
BILLINGS, Mont. - A female wildland firefighter has been tapped by the Trump administration to steady the U.S. Forest Service as it reels from allegations of sexual misconduct and struggles to change its male-dominated culture.
Vickie Christensen was appointed interim chief of the 35,000-employee agency late Thursday. The move came roughly 24 hours after former Chief Tony Tooke abruptly retired following revelations of an investigation into alleged relationships with subordinates.
Christiansen has been with the Forest Service for seven years and became a deputy chief in 2016. Before joining the federal government she'd worked in forestry for 30 years at the state level, in Arizona and Washington.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Brown University has canceled plans to display the house where Rosa Parks lived for a time after she left the south and moved to Detroit.
The house had been on a demolition list until it was saved by Parks' niece and artist Ryan Mendoza, who moved it to Berlin. He brought it back to the United States in pieces last month with Brown's backing, and was reassembling it when the Ivy League university made the abrupt announcement Thursday.
Parks' niece, Rhea McCauley, called the decision a missed opportunity and said the university had not consulted with the family.
"They made this decision on their own," she said.
Brown cited an unspecified dispute involving the R osa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, which Parks co-founded but which has feuded with relatives in the past. Brown spokesman Brian Clark said in an email that the university "took steps quickly upon learning recently about the dispute."
"Brown is not a party in the dispute and therefore we are not in a position to speak about the nature of the dispute," when asked for more details. "Also, we know that individuals involved in the dispute intended to object strongly if the exhibit proceeded. It is out of our respect for the legacy of Rosa Parks that Brown is stepping aside."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
PLANTATION, Fla. - Florida and most of the nation will spring ahead Sunday, moving clocks up one hour to observe daylight saving time - but if Sunshine State legislators get their way, Floridians won't be falling back.
By overwhelming, bipartisan majorities, the normally fractious Florida Senate and House this week adopted a bill that would make their state the first to adopt year-round daylight saving time. That would mean later sunrises and sunsets from November to March, peak tourist season for many beach cities. If Gov. Rick Scott signs it, the plan would still need congressional approval. That likely means it wouldn't happen until 2019 at the earliest, if ever.
Sen. Greg Steube, the lead sponsor, said Floridians are tired of going "back and forth" and changing their clocks, internal and external, twice a year. The Sarasota Republican also says the "Sunshine Protection Act " could boost the economy as winter sunsets would be about 6:30 p.m., not 5:30. That might create more post-work shopping and tourists might stay later at theme parks and beaches.
"It just seems silly to me that as a country we are bumping back and forth because the reason is completely irrelevant," said Steube, who recently announced he will run for Congress. He promised to sponsor federal legislation carrying out the change if elected.
But adopting year-round daylight time would mean some downsides for Florida too. From early November until early March, when it's noon in Eastern cities like Atlanta, Washington, New York, Boston and Moose River, Maine, it would be 1 p.m. in most of Florida, possibly causing confusion. The Panhandle is on Central time, so during the winter Pensacola and its neighbors would be on Eastern time.
Also, for almost half the school year thousands more children would go to school in the dark. From December into February, the sun wouldn't rise until about 8 a.m. in Miami, 8:20 in Tampa and Jacksonville and 8:30 in Tallahassee and only a bit earlier in late November and early March. If schools start later, that would mean more parents rushing to reach work on time.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
LOS ANGELES - Barack Obama and Netflix reportedly are negotiating a deal for the former president and his wife, Michelle, to produce shows exclusively for the streaming service.
The proposed deal was reported Friday by The New York Times, which cited people familiar with the discussions who were not identified.
Netflix did not immediately respond for a request for comment. Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill declined comment on the report.
Obama senior advisor Eric Schultz, in a statement provided to The Associated Press, said the Obamas believe in the power of storytelling to inspire.
Schultz said the couple continues to explore new ways to help others share their stories.
The New York Times reported that Obama doesn't intend to use his Netflix shows to respond directly to President Donald Trump or conservative critics.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - There is more pressure on the world's most famous sled dog race, and this time it's economic.
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog officials are blaming Alaska's recession, pressure from animal rights groups on sponsors and an attempt to ensure the race's future for a purse that is down about $250,000 from last year.
The $500,000 purse means there will be reduced payouts to the mushers who finish the race, and the pain starts at the top.
The winner is expected to receive about $50,000 for being the first musher to reach Nome. Last year, Mitch Seavey pocketed $71,250 for being the first into the old Gold Rush town on Alaska's western coast.
Lower payouts will be staggered down the line, but the middling mushers will suffer the most.
Last year, Jason Mackey won just over $11,000 for placing 21st. This year, the musher in 21st place, and every musher after them, will only take home $1,049.
Last year, the nominal $1,049 payout to finishers didn't start until 31st place. Mushers must pay $4,000 just to enter the race.
Joar Ulsom of Norway led the field of 65 remaining mushers in the race Thursday, with the winner expected in Nome early next week.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
PARIS - Countries around the world mobilized Thursday for International Women's Day with Spaniards on an unprecedented strike, France threatening to "name and shame" firms that pay women less and Iraqi women running a shortened 'marathon'.
The #MeToo and #Timesup campaigns that went global with allegations of sexual misconduct in Hollywood galvanized this year's celebrations amid surging demand from women for respect and equality.
Hundreds of trains were cancelled in Spain over the work stoppage and countless protests in defense of women's rights held across the country.
Ten unions demanded gender equality as the 24-hour strike sought to emulate Iceland's 1975 work stoppage, when women took a day off to demonstrate their vital contribution to the economy and society.
Female television and radio presenters went off air, and Spain's state TVE channel ran repeat programs to compensate. Police said 200,000 people rallied for womens' rights in Barcelona.
Spain's two main unions, however, refused to join the 24-hour strike and called on their members to stop work for just two hours.
Some 5.3 million people took part, they said.
In Paris, President Emmanuel Macron pledged to "name and shame" companies that pay women less than men for the same work.
French daily Liberation found a novel way to get a man's attention by hiking the paper's cost by 25 percent for all males. French women earn on average 25.7 percent less than men, according to a 2017 watchdog report.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel put out a video saying women should not rest on their laurels.
"The fight for equal rights continues," she said. Much remained to be done "so that women have the same rights as well as the same duties as men... we will get there."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
HAMMURIYEH, Syria - Syrian forces pursued a relentless air and ground offensive against Eastern Ghouta on Thursday, moving closer to retaking the rebel enclave but also depriving desperate civilians of vital aid.
More than 930 civilians have been killed in the nearly three-week assault on the last rebel enclave outside the capital, where dozens suffered overnight from a suspected chlorine attack.
On another front in Syria's complex seven-year war, pro-Turkey rebels seized control of the key northern town of Jandairis from Kurdish fighters.
Russia-backed government forces have retaken more than half of Eastern Ghouta, a monitor says, since launching their devastating offensive on the enclave on February 18.
The fighting has prompted international outrage, culminating in the UN Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire, aid deliveries and evacuations.
On Thursday, 24 civilians were killed in air strikes and rocket fire on Eastern Ghouta, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.
An aid delivery planned for Thursday was meant to bring relief to war-weary civilians inside Eastern Ghouta, which is home to 400,000 inhabitants who have been living under government siege since 2013.
But with bombardment continuing, the joint convoy between the United Nations, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Syrian Arab Red Crescent could not go through.
"The movement of the convoy was not authorized by the Syrian authorities due to security reasons," said Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN's humanitarian coordination office (OCHA).
It marks the second time this week aid operations have been disrupted by military developments, with food deliveries cut short Monday due to bombardment.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
BOGOTA - Colombia's FARC said Thursday it is pulling out of the country's presidential race after its candidate, 59-year-old ex-guerrilla leader Rodrigo "Timochenko" Londono, suffered a heart attack.
Ivan Marquez, a senate candidate and senior member of the political party formed by the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebels, told reporters that party members decided not to field a candidate after Londono underwent open heart surgery on Wednesday.
Since the peace deal struck with the government of outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos in late 2016, the FARC gave up its half-century armed struggle and became a political party keeping the same acronym.
Colombia's presidential election is scheduled for May 27, with a possible runoff vote set for mid-June.
Surveys showed that Londono - candidate for the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force - had just one percent voter support.
Marquez however said his party is not dropping out of the legislative elections set for Sunday.
Under the peace accord the former rebels are guaranteed at least 10 of the 268 congressional seats up for grabs in the March 11 election. They can gain more, but they must campaign for them.
Londono suffered a heart attack last week at the end of his daily exercise routine. He has had serious health scares before: in 2015 he had a heart attack in Cuba while negotiating the peace deal, and in July 2017 he suffered a minor stroke.
Doctors this week also found that Londono suffers from "a chronic pulmonary disease," as well as arterial brain blockage.
"His recovery will take several weeks," FARC Senate candidate Carlos Antonio Lozada said.
The ex-rebel leader however is undergoing a "satisfactory" recovery from heart surgery, Marquez said.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said FARC's withdrawal was "understandable."
"It is understandable, among other things because open heart surgery - which I am very happy went well - is a major procedure," he said.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
SYDNEY - The death toll from an earthquake that hit Papua New Guinea last month has topped 100 with thousands injured, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said Friday, warning it will take years for the region to recover.
The Pacific nation's mountainous interior was struck by a 7.5-magnitude tremor on February 26, triggering landslides that blocked roads, caused power outages and cut off villages.
Communities have also been rattled by strong aftershocks, sparking fears among disenchanted and suspicious residents that the shaking was somehow caused by oil and gas operations in the area.
"Tragically, the Highlands earthquake has already claimed the lives of an estimated more than 100 Papua New Guineans, with many more still missing and thousands of people injured," O'Neill said.
The premier has visited the devastated region and said his government and aid agencies were focused on delivering clean water, food and shelter to victims, and restoring electricity and communications.
"There will be no quick fix, the damage from this disaster will take months and years to be repaired," he said.
"The social damage to our communities is large, and this earthquake will be the source of sadness and sorrow for generations to come," the prime minister added, describing the plight of one woman who lost six relatives including children.
"This is a story of tragedy and loss that is repeated in village after village throughout the disaster area."
The remote Southern Highlands region is home to the impoverished country's biggest-ever development - the US$19 billion PNG LNG project operated by U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodia's Supreme Court has rejected an application for bail for an opposition leader charged with treason who is seeking to be released for medical treatment abroad.
The court ruled Friday that Kem Sokha must be kept in pretrial detention for his own safety and because the investigation into his case is ongoing. His Cambodia National Rescue Party was dissolved last November by a court ruling on a complaint by the government.
Kem Sokha's case is widely regarded as a political setup by the government to cripple its strongest opponent ahead of a general election this July. The party's dissolution was linked to Kem Sokha's alleged offense.
Kem Sokha's lawyers say he suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes, and has fallen sick in prison since being detained last September.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
LONDON - Around 21 people have received medical treatment after a nerve-agent attack on an ex-Russian spy, British police said Thursday, as the U.K. vowed strong action against whoever was responsible for the "brazen and reckless" act.
Three people remain hospitalized after the poisoning Sunday in the southern English city of Salisbury - former spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter and a British police officer who tried to help them.
Health authorities say there is little risk to the wider public. But Wiltshire county acting police chief Kier Pritchard said "around 21 people" have had treatment, including the Skripals, who were found unconscious on a bench.
Pritchard said "a number" of the 21 were having "blood-tests, support and advice." Previously, authorities had said only that "several" people had sought treatment.
The ex-spy and his daughter remain in critical condition in a Salisbury hospital. A police officer who came to their aid, Sgt. Nick Bailey, is hospitalized in a serious condition, though he is conscious and talking, officials said.
British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said enormous resources are being devoted to determining who poisoned Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia. They were found unconscious on a bench, triggering a police inquiry headed by counterterrorism detectives.
"The use of a nerve agent on British soil is a brazen and reckless act," Rudd told Parliament. "This was attempted murder in the most cruel and public way."
Rudd said Britain would respond strongly when it is clear who is to blame.
The Russian Embassy in London, which has mocked other British politicians for suggesting Russian involvement, tweeted that it agreed with Rudd: "First evidence then conclusions on Mr. Skripal's case. Responsible political approach."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
YANGON - An ultra-nationalist Myanmar monk was released from prison on Friday after serving time for inciting unrest in an anti-Rohingya protest in 2016, a rare punishment handed to one of the country's hardline Buddhist clergymen.
Parmaukkha, who was handed a three-month jail term, has helped peddle a fiery brand of Buddhist nationalism and Islamophobia in Myanmar, a country accused of waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims.
The monk was arrested in November over a rally he held outside the U.S. Embassy in Yangon in April 2016 to protest against America's use of the word "Rohingya".
The Buddhist-majority nation refuses to recognize the Rohingya as citizens, referring pejoratively to the community as "Bengalis" and insisting they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
On Friday several dozen supporters cheered and scattered petals in front of Parmaukkha as he walked out of Yangon's notorious Insein prison at dawn before heading to pray at the city's iconic Shwedagon Pagoda.
"He has work to do...I love everything he does for religion and the nation," said Aye Lay, a 32-year-old supporter.
Anti-Muslim hate speech has been brewing in Myanmar for several years, often spilling over into bouts of bloodshed.
Religious hatred has surged in the wake of a ruthless military crackdown that has compelled 700,000 Rohingya to flee the country since August.
The UN says the campaign amounts to ethnic cleansing and possible genocide.
But many in the Buddhist majority support the crackdown, which the army says was needed to crush a Rohingya militant uprising.
Over the past year religious authorities have taken some steps to curb the influence of ultra-nationalist monks like Parmaukkha.
His release on Friday coincides with the end of a year-long public speaking ban on Wirathu - another firebrand monk known as the face of Myanmar's Buddhist nationalist movement.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
JOHANNESBURG - Zimbabwe's ex-leader Robert Mugabe sent shockwaves through the party he dominated for decades when he posed with the retired general who will take on the ruling ZANU-PF in this year's election.
Mugabe grinned broadly in the posed photo, standing beside brigadier general Ambrose Mutinhiri, the leader of opposition party the National Patriotic Front (NPF), which hopes to unseat the government in polls expected by August.
Mutinhiri's abrupt resignation from ZANU-PF last week followed by his surprise announcement that he would be the presidential candidate of the new party exposed deep divisions in the governing party.
The symbolism of the photo opportunity, which was featured at the top of a press release issued by the new pro-Mugabe splinter party, was unmistakable.
Two days later ZANU-PF Youth League supporters chanted "down with Mugabe" at a rally, a rare outburst from the normally disciplined members of the party that Mugabe led for nearly four decades.
A leader of the league, Pupurai Tigarepi, later said that if Mugabe "is not responsible, we are going to look at him as a new enemy".
In response to the hostility, the new president did little to defend the man who was once presented by ZANU-PF to the world as a liberation hero and father of the nation.
"There is an issue regarding the former president," said President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
"Currently we see in the media various speculations about his activities... we are not happy with what the media is saying. We don't know whether it's correct or not but it is an issue we are examining."
"(The photo) sort of solidifies the whole idea that the Mugabe family is behind the project," said Gideon Chitanga, an analyst with the Johannesburg-based regional think-tank Political Economy Southern Africa, describing Mugabe's meeting with Mutinhiri as "very cordial".
Other analysts said that Mnangagwa had every reason to be concerned by Mugabe's sudden re-emergence on the political scene.
"There is an understated panic - especially within ZANU-PF," said Zimbabwean political analyst Brian Kagoro who added that the ruling party had already struggled to formulate a response to the opposition following the death of its figurehead Morgan Tsvangirai in February.
"It would have been a much easier task to concentrate on infiltrating the (opposition) - but now they have to deal with uncertainty as to who is with them," said Brian Kagoro, a director of the UHAI Africa think-tank.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
COPENHAGEN - Danish inventor Peter Madsen on Thursday denied murdering Swedish journalist Kim Wall aboard his self-built submarine, saying she died when the air pressure suddenly dropped and toxic fumes filled the vessel.
But the prosecution painted a picture of a sexual sadist obsessed with beheadings who murdered her as part of a sexual fantasy.
Madsen, who has previously admitted dismembering Wall's body and throwing her remains overboard, told the Copenhagen district court on the first day of his trial that the air pressure suddenly dropped in the engine room, where the 30-year-old freelance reporter was located while he was up on deck.
Pleading not guilty to premeditated murder, he admitted he had lied to investigators and changed his account of what actually happened to Wall several times.
"I wanted to spare her family and the world the details ... about what actually happened when she died, because it is gruesome."
He said a vacuum effect meant he was unable to open the hatch to get in to Wall, who was screaming for help.
"I try to explain to Kim through the hatch how to stop the necessary engines, for 5 to 15 minutes I try to get in to her," Madsen said.
"When I finally manage to open the hatch, a warm cloud hits my face. I find her lifeless on the floor, and I squat next to her and try to wake her up, slapping her cheeks."
He said he sailed around for a few hours, contemplating suicide, and then slept next to Wall's body for two hours.
Cutting her up was not a big deal, as he already knew how to amputate limbs "to save lives".
"I don't see how that mattered at that time, as she was dead," Madsen said with a small grin.
"I tried first with an arm, and that went very fast... It went very fast, and I got her out of the submarine."
Wall's chopped up body parts, weighed down in plastic bags with metal objects, were later recovered from waters off Copenhagen.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
SYDNEY - They might be at the bottom of the food chain, but krill could prove to be a secret weapon in the fight against the growing threat of plastic pollution in the world's oceans.
New research Friday showed the tiny zooplankton are capable of digesting microplastics - under five millimeters (0.2 inches) - before excreting them back into the environment in an even smaller form.
Study author Amanda Dawson stumbled on the finding while working on a project involving microbeads - polyethylene plastic often used in cosmetics such as face scrubs - at the Australian Antarctic Division's krill aquarium to check the toxic effects of pollution.
"We realized that krill actually break up plastic, it was amazing," the researcher from Australia's Griffith University told AFP.
"It's difficult to know exactly what the implications of this could be, but the theory is that because plastics in the ocean are already degraded and more fragile, they would be even easier for krill to break up."
The problem of plastic pollution is widespread, and rapidly getting worse.
Every year, more than eight million tons ends up in the ocean, costing billions of dollars in damage to marine ecosystems and killing an estimated one million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals and untold numbers of fish, studies have shown.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres last year cited one study that showed plastic could outweigh fish in 2050 if nothing was done.
Australian Antarctic Division krill biologist and study co-author So Kawaguchi said this was the first time scientists had examined microplastics digested by the crustaceans.
Published in Nature Communications, it found the fragments excreted were, on average, 78 percent smaller than the original beads with some reduced by 94 percent.
"It's a new pathway for microplastics to interact with the ecosystem", Kawaguchi said.
He added that the research suggested other zooplankton with similar digestive systems may also be able to break down microplastics.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
NEW YORK - The insurer Cigna will spend about $52 billion to acquire the nation's biggest pharmacy benefit manager, Express Scripts, the latest in a string of proposed tie-ups as health care's bill payers attempt to get a grip on rising costs.
Including $15 billion in debt, the proposed $67 billion acquisition follows a deal announced late last year in which the drugstore chain CVS Corp. said it will spend around $69 billion on the insurer Aetna Inc.
Insurers and pharmacy benefit managers - which run drug plans for insurers and employer-based plans - have struggled to corral spiraling costs and the industry that was jolted by the Affordable Care Act, which reshaped the individual insurance market and expanded the state- and federally funded Medicaid program.
In that environment the ultimate disruptor, Amazon.com, said this year that it wanted to get involved in health care as well in a collaboration with billionaire Warren Buffett and JPMorgan Chase. No one knows what that means yet, but it sent a shudder through the sector.
Insurers and others say they want to get more involved in patient care, to supplement what a regular doctor provides and keep people healthy and on their medications. They are especially focused on those with chronic conditions, like diabetes patients who need regular blood sugar monitoring. They say they want to change a system that generally waits until people get sick before treating them.
Aetna and CVS have said they hope to create "front doors" to health care through 9,800 stores run by CVS. That deal could turn many of the chain's stores into one-stop-shop locations for an array of health care needs like blood work and eye or hearing care, in addition to their traditional role of filling prescriptions.
UnitedHealth Group Inc., which runs the nation's largest insurer, is spending almost $5 billion to buy nearly 300 primary and specialty care clinics and some urgent care and surgery centers. That push will help the company steer patients away from expensive hospital care.
Another insurer, Humana Inc., is making a separate deal to better manage the care of its Medicare Advantage patients.
Cigna CEO David Cordani said Thursday that the combined company will make health care more simple for customers.
The deal announced Thursday consists of $48.75 in cash and a portion of stock in the combined company for each share of St. Louis-based Express Scripts Holding Co. Cordani will lead the combined company, with his Express Scripts counterpart, Tim Wentworth, staying on as a president.
The boards of both companies have approved the deal, which is expected to close at the end of this year.
Cigna, based in Bloomfield, Connecticut, was the target of an acquisition bid by the Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurer Anthem Inc. But Anthem ended that $48 billion offer last spring, accusing Cigna of sabotaging that deal. Cigna, in turn, said Anthem "willfully breached" its obligation to get regulatory approval.
A federal judge and an appeals court had rejected the combination after antitrust regulators sued to stop it.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
NEW YORK - After hours of indecisive trading, stocks finished with modest gains Thursday after President Donald Trump formally ordered tariffs on steel and aluminum imports with the terms were less harsh than investors had feared.
Stocks rallied following reports that Canada and Mexico will be exempted indefinitely from the tariffs and that other countries will be invited to negotiate for exemptions as well.
Congressional Republicans and business leaders oppose the tariffs and have pushed for the administration to take a more measured approach that would invite less backlash from other countries.
"The president's tone was far more pragmatic," said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial. "This certainly is not the strict tariff proposal that the president had suggested in the past couple of weeks."
Health care companies rose after pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts accepted a $52 billion offer from health insurer Cigna. Technology companies also moved higher, but energy companies slipped along with oil prices.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 12.17 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,738.97. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 93.85 points, or 0.4 percent, to 24,895.21. The Nasdaq composite rose for the fifth day in a row, gaining 31.30 points, or 0.4 percent, to 7,427.95.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks dipped 2.57 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,571.97. The index had jumped 4.5 percent over the previous four days as discussion about the proposed tariffs prompted investors to buy U.S.-focused companies and sell multinational firms.
Friday could prove to be another dramatic day on Wall Street as investors review the government's February jobs report. Stocks tumbled after the January report showed unexpectedly strong growth in wages, which set off worries about inflation.
Benchmark U.S. crude fell $1.03, or 1.7 percent, to $60.12 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, lost 73 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $63.61 a barrel in London. That led to more losses for energy companies.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
WASHINGTON - Long-term mortgage rates climbed this week to their highest average in more than four years, ratcheting up affordability pressures at the start of the traditional spring home buying season.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on 30- year fixed-rate mortgages climbed to 4.46 percent this week from 4.43 percent last week. This marks the highest average since January 2014. The 30-year rate averaged 4.21 percent a year ago.
The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate loans rose to 3.94 percent from 3.90 percent last week.
Higher mortgage rates appear to be weighing on home sales, since buyers are facing higher borrowing costs. Home purchases slumped 3.2 percent from December to January, according to the National Association of Realtors. On a yearly basis, home sales have fallen 4.8 percent, the sharpest annual decline since August 2014.
Relatively low mortgage rates had helped to ease the financial pressures from home prices rising faster than wages and the worsening shortage of properties listed for sale. But rising rates are slowly hurting affordability.
Mortgage rates have been heading upward for the past nine weeks. The interest rates charged on home loans usually hew close to changes in inflation and the interest paid on U.S. government debt. But the recent increases in mortgage rates have come even as the yield on the 10-year Treasury note has stayed below its two-week high of 2.95 percent.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
SANTIAGO, Chile - Trade ministers from 11 Pacific Rim countries signed a sweeping free trade agreement Thursday to streamline trade and slash tariffs just hours before President Donald Trump announced his plans to impose new tariffs on aluminum and steel to protect U.S. producers.
Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership last year, causing fears that it would not prosper without its most influential country. But the remaining 11 members pressed ahead, saying they were showing resolve against protectionism through global trade.
The ministers dropped key provisions that the Americans had required on protection of intellectual property, among others. The renegotiated pact signed in Chile's capital was also renamed the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP.
"Despite the diverse and difficult challenges, the CPTPP is a historic achievement that creates free and fair 21st century rules in the Asia-Pacific region," Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a news conference after the signing of the deal.
The pact that covers 500 million people includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, which together account for 13 percent of the global economy. Its success highlights the isolation of the U.S. under Trump's protectionist rhetoric on trade and his "America first" philosophy.
"It leaves the U.S. at a disadvantage from both a trade and a broader strategic perspective," said Joshua Meltzer, senior fellow in the global economy and development program at the Brookings Institution. "It is now a trade bloc that discriminates against the U.S."
Meltzer said the United States' ability to shape the rules of trade in the Asia-Pacific region "is very much diminished."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
CARACAS, Venezuela - A trust linked to Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA has filed a lawsuit against major international energy trading firms for their alleged role funneling bribes to corrupt company officials in exchange for rigged oil purchase contracts.
The civil complaint was unsealed Thursday by a federal judge in Miami and alleges the ongoing scheme cheated the socialist-run company of billions in lost revenue since 2004.
The lawsuit comes as the U.S. expands a criminal investigation into corruption at PDVSA, and the Trump administration threatens crippling oil sanctions on the country sitting atop the world's largest crude reserves.
David Boies, the powerful New York attorney representing PDVSA and who is also involved in two other politically charged cases straining relations between the U.S. and Venezuela, said the lawsuit was prompted by the Venezuelan government's determination to show it takes corruption seriously.
"This is an action that Venezuela has taken to re-establish itself as a country where the rule of law applies, where corruption isn't going to be tolerated and where people who violate the public trust will be held accountable," Boies told The Associated Press. "It's a long road, but every long road begins with the first few steps."
Boies said the 60-page complaint reads like a John Grisham novel, reflecting the lawless behavior by PDVSA officials and international oil companies over more than a decade. Switzerland-based Glencore and Russia's Lukoil are named as among more than 40 defendants including rogue traders, multinational energy firms, shell companies, mid-level PDVSA officials and a Nicaraguan- owned bank in Florida
The scheme to fix prices, rig bids and eliminate competition, as well as steal highly-confidential information by cloning the company's servers, was allegedly carried out by two former PDVSA traders, Francisco Morillo and Leonardo Baquero.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
NEW YORK - Is "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli a master manipulator who conned wealthy investors or a misunderstood eccentric who used unconventional means to make those same investors even wealthier?
A federal judge in Brooklyn will have to weigh the conflicting portrayals of the former pharmaceutical company CEO on Friday at his sentencing on a securities fraud conviction.
The stakes are high: The defense wants U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto to give Shkreli a sentence of 18 months or less because, in the end, his investors in two failed hedge funds got all of their money back and more from stock he gave them in a successful drug company. Prosecutors say he deserves at least 15 years behind bars for pilfering funds behind his investors' backs to start the drug company and cover up his fraud.
Shkreli, 34, became notorious for raising the price of a life-saving drug by 5,000 percent and trolling critics on the internet with his snarky "Pharma Bro" persona.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
WASHINGTON - A soaring U.S. stock market and healthy home price gains lifted Americans' net worth to $98.7 trillion in the final three months of last year, a gain that could lift household spending.
The value of U.S. stock portfolios jumped $1.3 trillion in the October- December quarter compared with the previous three months, the Federal Reserve said Thursday. That figure includes stocks held through mutual funds and in retirement accounts.
Home values, which make up the bulk of middle-class wealth, increased $500 billion.
The figures are at a record high, though they are not adjusted for inflation or population growth. They predate February's sharp gyrations in the stock market, though stock market indexes are still up about 2 percent this year. The solid gain in wealth could make many Americans more confident and lead them to spend more, which typically fuels economic growth.
Economic research has found that in the past, people spent roughly 3 to 5 cents of every dollar in additional wealth they accumulated. Since the recession, however, Americans have become more cautious with their wealth. Economists now estimate that roughly only 1 penny for every dollar is spent.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
NEW YORK - Kroger Co. reported a surge in fourth-quarter profit Thursday, but the lackluster results and outlook sunk shares. The Cincinnati company's stock fell $1.48, or 5.6 percent, to $24.79 in premarket trading as its outlook fell mostly short of Wall street expectations.
The company's profit jumped 69 percent to $854 million, or 96 cents per share, mainly on a benefit from last year's sweeping tax reform. Excluding one-time gains and costs, it earned 63 cents per share, matching Wall Street expectations.
Revenue rose 12.4 percent to $31.03 billion, beating expectations of $30.83 billion. Excluding fuel sales and the 53rd week this year, quarterly sales rose 2.7 percent.
The supermarket operator is in the midst of an initiative to change product offerings and bolster the use of technology in stores. It said it grew digital sales this fiscal year by more than 90 percent.
For the year, the company reported profit of $1.91 billion, or $2.09 per share. Revenue was reported as $122.66 billion.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
MEXICO CITY - Toy-maker Mattel was in a dispute Thursday with a distant relative of the late Mexican artist Frida Kahlo over rights to a Frida Barbie doll released as part of the company's Inspiring Women series.
Kahlo's great-niece Mara de Anda Romeo said Mattel doesn't have the rights to use Kahlo's image.
Pablo Sangri, a lawyer for de Anda Romeo, said his client doesn't seek money, but wants Mattel to talk about redesigning the doll.
"We will talk to them about regularizing this situation, and by regularizing I mean talking about the appearance of the doll, its characteristics, the history the doll should have to match what the artist really was," Sangri said.
Critics complain the doll doesn't reflect Kahlo's heavy, nearly conjoined eyebrows, and they say its costume doesn't accurately portray the elaborate Tehuana-style dresses the artist wore.
That is, it's more Barbie-like than Frida-like. Barbie is an American icon that has often been criticized as promoting an unrealistic body image and consumerist lifestyle. Kahlo was a life-long communist who died in 1954 before the doll was introduced.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
NEW YORK - McDonald's has temporarily flipped its famous Golden Arches to look like a "W" - a move it says it made to recognize International Women's Day.
The upside-down logo appeared Thursday on the fast-food giant's website and social media accounts. It also flipped the arches at one restaurant in Lynwood, California. McDonald's says that at about 100 of its 14,000 restaurants, packaging and worker uniforms will have the flipped logo. McDonald's also says six out of 10 of its restaurant managers are women and it wanted to honor their accomplishments.
The company, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, says it's the first time it has flipped its Golden Arches logo since it first appeared at a restaurant six decades ago.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
LOS ANGELES - "Star Wars" legend Mark Hamill was immortalized on Hollywood's iconic Walk of Fame Thursday in front of scores of fans, some of whom had waited hours to glimpse the actor.
The 66-year-old Californian has appeared in some 70 movies which were nothing to do with Lucasfilm's space opera, not to mention almost 200 TV shows, but will always be thought of as ingenue farm boy turned pan-galactic lightsaber-wielding hero Luke Skywalker.
"You are with me through thick and thin and the highs and the lows and everywhere in between," Hamill told the cheering crowd as he collected his star.
"If it weren't for the public, I'd be nowhere. From 'Jedi' to 'Joker' and back again, it's been a fantastic ride. Thank you so much, and may the force be with each and every one of you."
Hamill, who lends his voice to the villainous Joker in animated "Batman" and "Justice League" shows, punctuated his comments with a cackling Joker laugh.
He paid tribute to his fans after the ceremony, saying he would never get used to the acclaim, nor take it for granted. "They are the most passionate, loyal people. They are with you in career highs and career lows," he said.
Harrison Ford, who portrayed fugitive smuggler and all-round charmer Han Solo in four "Star Wars" films, was among those on hand to pay tribute to Hamill, along with "Star Wars" creator George Lucas.
"Mark is a friend that I don't see very often. Our lives have diverged to a certain extent but I am very pleased for him. He has been the master of his own experience, his own life," Ford said.
"And he is as he always was - a quiet, sincere, honest person. He's not a grandstander and I think he has found comfort and utility and control of his destiny, and I'm happy for you pal."
As he accepted his star, Hamill told the crowd he was struggling to convey the depth of his gratitude.
"I haven't been this speechless since 'Force Awakens,'" he joked in a nod to the first episode of the sequel trilogy in which he briefly appeared but said nothing.
Hamill also hailed Lucas, noting if it "weren't for the genius of George Lucas, I wouldn't be standing here today."
He said he knew while working with Ford that he was in the "presence of greatness" and that Ford was "one of the best actors in film history."
"He also gave me the great advice: 'Hey kid, don't get cocky,'" he added.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal will put his DJ skills on display at his own carnival-style event after a popular electronic dance music festival in Miami.
O'Neal said that "Shaq's Fun House" will debut March 24, immediately following day one of the three-day Ultra Music Festival. Both events are taking place during Miami Music Week.
He said the one-night, invite-only affair will feature EDM performers, a cabaret show and "over-the-top" carnival attractions. It will be held at an unannounced warehouse venue.
"Despite all the problems that are going on in the world, there are two (things) that'll bring people together: it's sports and music," he said in an interview Wednesday. O'Neal added that there will be "flame throwers, people swinging from ceilings, a lot of costumes. We want this to be very different than any other festival."
"Shaq's Fun House" will run from 2 a.m. to sunrise.
O'Neal will perform under his stage name DJ Diesel. The four-time NBA champion said he came up with the concept after he performed at the EDM festival TomorrowWorld, held near Atlanta, in 2015.
"I want to do something big and develop a brand that represents this younger world," he said.
O'Neal won't announce who is performing at his event because he wants to surprise the audience. Performers at the Ultra Music Festival include David Guetta, the Chainsmokers and Afrojack.
O'Neal, 46, has been performing at small and big venues since the age of 14, even DJ'ing at parties during his college days at Louisiana State University. He released multiple rap albums in the 1990s, and in recent years he's performed at music festivals around the world.
At "Shaq's Fun House," O'Neal said he'll play a mixture of EDM, hip-hop and classic songs.
"I like to read the crowd and see what they like, but I want to hit them with that base, edgy trap. I like all types of music. I'm mixture of AoB and Skrillex," he said, referring to the electronic soul duo and Grammy-winning dub-step DJ-producer.
"That's my alias, the black AoB-Skrillex."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
U.S. actress Meghan Markle has been baptized by the leader of the Church of England ahead of her marriage to Prince Harry in May, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby performed the 45-minute ceremony at London's Chapel Royal on Tuesday in the presence of Prince Charles, her future father-in-law, the paper said.
Prince Harry's Kensington Palace office declined to comment. Markle, 36, is understood to have chosen to be baptized and confirmed into the Anglican church out of respect for Queen Elizabeth II's role as the head of the denomination.
The ceremony involved the "Suits" actress being doused with holy water from the River Jordan from the private royal family font, according to the Mail.
The couple will wed on May 19 at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, a residence of Queen Elizabeth II's located west of London.
Markle's father is an Episcopalian - an offshoot of the Anglican Church in the U.S. - while her mother belonged to another Protestant denomination.
However, she attended the Roman Catholic high school in Los Angeles.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
The end of March Madness will feature more than just basketball: Imagine Dragons and Maroon 5 are the initial performers announced for the NCAA March Madness Festival.
The festival, from March 30 to April 1, will take place at Hemisfair in San Antonio, where the men's Final Four is being held. The festival will be livestreamed on NCAA.com as well as other channels.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
Veteran filmmaker Jon Favreau is to write and executive produce a live-action series based on the "Star Wars" films for Disney's forthcoming streaming service, executives said on Thursday.
Disney, which owns "Star Wars" production house Lucasfilm, has a decade-long history with the 51-year- old, who has directed, produced or appeared in several superhero movies made by another of the entertainment giant's businesses, Marvel Studios.
"I couldn't be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform," said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in a statement.
"Jon brings the perfect mix of producing and writing talent, combined with a fluency in the 'Star Wars' universe. This series will allow Jon the chance to work with a diverse group of writers and directors and give Lucasfilm the opportunity to build a robust talent base."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
NEW YORK - To amass a fortune in real estate, despite New York's crazy housing prices: that is the challenge thrown down by singer Jennifer Lopez and her boyfriend Alex Rodriguez to kids from the Bronx, the city's poorest borough.
Around 50 young students from the Bronx, most of them black or Latino, have been selected for "Project Destined," designed by J.Lo and A-Rod - as the retired baseball superstar Rodriguez is known - to teach them the ins and outs of financing and real estate.
The youths underwent intense instruction from lawyers, bankers, mortgage companies and realtors, but the course will not be just theoretical.
The student team that comes up with the best business plan will have the chance to buy a building worth $1.5 million in the Bronx and develop it.
In this real estate mecca, its skyline in constant flux and whose most famous alumnus Donald Trump is now in the White House, good contacts can open unimaginable doors.
That was the philosophy of the project's two founders, Fred Greene and Cedric Bobo, both of them successful black businessmen who wanted to pass on their knowledge and experience to kids from humble backgrounds.
"What we are doing here is giving kids a chance to work with us almost like apprentices," said Bobo. "Kids come in, analyze properties, we then buy them and we share a portion of the profits."
"We want to put owners and stakeholders in the communities where they live, work and play. If we do that, we do a lot," said Bobo, an experienced investment banker for the Carlyle Group, one of the power houses of Wall Street.
Before moving to the Bronx, where more than 35 percent of the population live in poverty, the program ran in Detroit, Memphis and Miami, helping young people from poorer backgrounds learn the ropes of business.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
OAKLAND, Calif. - Steve Kerr chuckled not about Stephen Curry's latest ankle trouble but just how good the Golden State Warriors can be without their two-time MVP.
"We still have three All-Stars when Steph goes down," Kerr said. "We still have a lot of talent."
Kevin Durant had 37 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots and almost single-handedly led the undermanned defending champions' fourth-quarter rally past the San Antonio Spurs for a 110-107 win Thursday night after Curry went down early.
Durant hit his third straight jumper to tie it with 2:01 remaining before the Warriors went ahead on Draymond Green's putback the following possession. Klay Thompson made two free throws with 15.9 seconds left.
Bryn Forbes' 3-point try from the top to tie it hit the front rim as the final buzzer sounded.
Green had his third triple-double this season with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Curry was lost for the night to a rolled right ankle early in the first quarter, then the Warriors responded without him to win their seventh straight since the All-Star break.
Durant's 14-footer from the right wing with 3:14 left got Golden State within 103-101, and then he answered a Spurs basket with another jumper the next time.
The NBA Finals MVP blocked two shots in the first half to set a new career high for a season and now has 108, besting the 105 blocks he had in 2012-13.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 30 points to lead the Spurs, who were without a star of their own after starting center Pau Gasol sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder late against Memphis on Monday.
Back-to-back Spurs dunks put San Antonio ahead 101-93 with 4:44 remaining before the Warriors mounted quite a comeback.
Golden State trailed 87-78 going into the final 12 minutes, earning a fourth straight win and eighth in 12 against San Antonio after a 122-105 home victory Feb. 10.
Curry tweaked his troublesome right ankle driving left for a layup at the 9:38 mark of the first quarter with two Spurs around him. He limped into the tunnel grimacing in pain and frustration, then initially stayed in the game to shoot free throws before heading to the locker room. The team said he was getting re-taped and going through tests, then Curry didn't return - but the Warriors are going to be cautious at this stage of the season with the playoffs beginning next month.
Curry missed 11 games in December with the sprained right ankle and injured it again last Friday at Atlanta. He won't travel or play at Portland on Friday.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
NEW YORK - With leading scorer Kyle Guy back following a brief injury scare, the nation's No. 1 team is off to a strong postseason start.
Guy and his Virginia teammates looked like healthy favorites on Thursday, beating Louisville 75-58 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Guy scored 19 points in his speedy return after a sprained left knee and the top-seeded Cavaliers (29-2) weathered a second-half charge. They'll play in the first semifinal Friday night against 19th-ranked and fourth-seeded Clemson, a 90-82 winner over No. 12 seed Boston College.
"I think we know we're going to get everybody's best shot," Virginia guard Devon Hall said.
Hall had 14 points and five assists as Virginia methodically dismantled a Louisville team seeking a major upset in Brooklyn to augment its NCAA Tournament credentials. Instead, the ninth-seeded Cardinals (20-13) will sweat out Selection Sunday hoping for an at-large bid.
"Really proud of our effort, and we're looking forward to next week," said a confident David Padgett, the interim coach who took over when Rick Pitino was fired before the season. "We've played a very, very difficult schedule, under very difficult circumstances this year, and my guys have 120 percent earned an opportunity to have their name called.
"You can't possibly sit here and tell me that we're not one of the best 68 teams in the country."
Guy got injured last Saturday in the regular-season finale against Notre Dame and went scoreless in 18 minutes. But the sophomore guard, a first-team All-ACC selection, started against the Cardinals as expected and wore a large, black brace on his knee.
"All week in practice I was just trying to get used to it. There's definitely a mental part of it where you sort of feel safe with it on," Guy said. "It didn't really bother me much."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
MINNEAPOLIS - The presence of Kyrie Irving this season has made the Boston Celtics more of a dynamic team with the ball. They've become quite the force on the other end of the court, too, as the Minnesota Timberwolves again found out. Irving returned from a one-game absence to help Boston fend off Minnesota, finishing with 23 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in a 117-109 victory over the Timberwolves on Thursday night that clinched a spot in the playoffs for the Celtics.
"That's one of the goals," Irving said. "Just glad we got it out of the way pretty early."
Al Horford added 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and tough defense on Karl-Anthony Towns for the Celtics, who stayed two games behind Toronto in the Eastern Conference race with their sixth win in seven games. They have three more losses than the Raptors.
Marcus Morris added 17 points for the Celtics, whose good vibes were tempered a bit by the hard landing Jaylen Brown took on his back after a dunk late in the third quarter. He was able to walk off on his own with 14 points, evaluated for concussion-like symptoms and taken to a hospital for precautionary testing.
"I was terrified. I mean, I know what that fall is like," said backup Marcus Smart. "I've done it in high school, the same way. For him to get up, that's a strong kid."
Strength was the name of this game for the Celtics, who overcame a career-high 30 points by Nemanja Bjelica on 11-for-16 shooting, including 6 for 9 from 3-point range. Bjelica's first 20-10 game in the NBA was ultimately wasted in the season-high third straight loss for the Timberwolves, who are still trying to find their way without injured All-Star Jimmy Butler. They trailed by as many as 18 points soon after halftime, too much to overcome some second-half surges behind Bjelica and 18 points from Taj Gibson on 8-for-10 shooting.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
NEW YORK - Trevon Bluiett scored 27 points, Kaiser Gates had 16 and No. 3 Xavier looked every bit the top seed in the Big East Tournament in an 88-60 win over St. John's on Thursday. The teams scuffled on the postgame handshake line and had to be separated as the crowd stood for the unexpected fracas.
The Musketeers (28-4) dominated in the second half on the Red Storm's home court at Madison Square Garden. Xavier plays the winner of the Providence-Creighton game in a tourney semifinal Friday. Providence beat Xavier 81-72 on Jan. 6.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - It was after Texas Tech lost to Texas in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, ending the Red Raiders' season, that Chris Beard defied his team to avoid a similar fate the next year. They've certainly risen to the challenge.
Keenan Evans scored 25 points, including a pretty fadeaway jumper in the closing minutes, and the No. 14 Red Raiders held off hot-shooting Jacob Young and the Longhorns for a 73-69 victory on Thursday night that ushered them into the semifinal round for the first time since 2005.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Baylor thought it had stolen some much- needed momentum entering halftime against West Virginia when Tristan Clark threw down a dunk with a couple of seconds left on the clock. Jevon Carter stole it all right back.
The senior guard chucked in a halfcourt buzzer-beater to give the No. 18 Mountaineers a comfy cushion, and the Big 12 Tournament's third-seeded team kept pulling away after the break. Carter wound up with 18 points and 11 assists, Esa Ahmad poured in 21 points and West Virginia rolled to a 78-65 victory and a spot in the semifinal round Thursday night.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Malik Newman scored a career-high 30 points, Svi Mykhailiuk added 13 and ninth-ranked Kansas beat Oklahoma State 82-68 on Thursday to reach the Big 12 semifinals. Devonte Graham added 10 points, four rebounds and nine assists for the top-seeded Jayhawks (25-7), who were swept by the Cowboys (19-14) in the regular season but broke through when it mattered. They advanced to play Kansas State, which beat TCU in overtime earlier in the day.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. - Serena Williams has won her first match in her comeback at the BNP Paribas Open after a 14-month layoff for the birth of her first child.
The 23-time major winner beat Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-3 in the first round Thursday night.
"It was incredible," Williams said on court after the 1 ¢-hour match. "It's been over a year and a kid later and I get to go home to her now, and I'm excited about that."
With new husband and Reddit co-found Alexis Ohanian looking on, Williams played from behind until breaking Diyas in the 11th game of the first set. Diyas netted a forehand and Williams yelled, "Come on!" as the crowd cheered.
Williams served a love game capped by a 100-mph ace in her first service game. She had break points in the first and fifth games but couldn't convert. She started hitting harder and her familiar grunting returned when she tied the set 5-all.
Diyas and Williams traded service breaks early in the second set. Williams then broke her opponent again en route to winning the final five games. She smiled as she walked to the net, and her family gave her a standing ovation.
"It definitely wasn't easy," Williams said on court. "We always have a couple tight sets. It was good. I'm a little rusty, but it doesn't matter. I'm just out here on this journey and doing the best I can."
Also in Williams' box were her mother Oracene, sisters Lyndrea and Isha, her agent, and her coach Patrick Mouratoglou. Older sister Venus watched from a balcony seat in an upper-level box on a 68-degree night in the Southern California desert.
Williams has been away since winning the 2017 Australian Open early in her pregnancy. She gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. six months ago.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
PALM HARBOR, Fla. - Tiger Woods moved spectators and a TV truck, and then warned everybody in earshot. He had no idea what was going to happen with his ball sitting near an oak tree at the par-4 16th.
It turned out to be one of his best shots of the day, a low-running wedge from slippery, fallen leaves that could have broken his club and a few fingers. It ended up just short of the green, Woods followed with a chip shot to 3 feet that saved par and provided one of the top highlights from the opening round at the Valspar Championship on a blustery Thursday.
It also helped Woods finish at 1-under 70 and three shots back of first-round leader Corey Conners.
"It didn't feel very good," said Woods, who let go of the club as it started to wrap about the tree trunk. "I moved all the people even and warned them in case the club breaks and gets over there. I pitched it up the hill and came out nicely." More like perfectly. Woods was nearly as good with his next tee shot, a 5-iron to 2 feet on the par-3 17th. He tapped in for a birdie and his best start in nearly three years.
It was his first opening round under par on the PGA Tour since a 64 in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015. To be fair, he's only played six opening rounds since.
Still, there was a lot to feel good about considering Woods remains a work in progress while returning from a fourth back surgery.
Woods is trying to get his game ready for the Masters, and without being eligible for the two World Golf Championships in the spring, he needed a place to play.
Woods captivated thousands with every shot. He had a Sunday crowd - in 50-degree weather and gusting winds - following his every move around the Copperhead course at Innisbrook. Fans lined both sides of every fairway, waiting hours just to get a glimpse of Woods in his first appearance at the event.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
Mike Moustakas is staying with the Kansas City Royals in a surprising turn dictated by a historically slow free-agent market.
Kansas City agreed Thursday to a one-year contract that guarantees the third baseman $6.5 million, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The deal could be worth up to $22.7 million over two seasons, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.
Moustakas gets a $5.5 million salary this year and has the chance to earn $2.2 million in performance bonuses based on plate appearances.
The agreement, reached exactly three weeks before opening day, includes a $15 million mutual option for 2019 with a $1 million buyout. The 29-year-old infielder turned down a $17.4 million, one-year qualifying offer from the Royals in November. But he found the interest of many other teams dimmed because a deal would have required compensation such as a loss of draft picks and/or international signing bonus allotment.
Moustakas would make $200,000 each for 225, 250, 275, 300, 325 and 350 plate appearances, and $250,000 apiece for 375, 400, 425 and 450. If he earns those bonuses and the option is declined, the total value of the deal would match the $8.7 million he earned in 2017.
His agreement was first reported by Yahoo.
The 29-year-old could not be given a qualifying offer again after this season. One of the changes in the collective-bargaining agreement reached in November 2016 is a provision preventing a player from being given more than one qualifying offer in his career.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
TAMPA, Fla. - By the time Tampa Bay allowed even one shot on goal, New York was down two goals and staring down yet another defeat. The league-leading Lightning can blitz any NHL team, and they had little trouble with the last-place Rangers on Thursday night.
Anthony Cirelli had a goal and two assists and Tampa Bay chased Henrik Lundqvist with a barrage of shots in a 5-3 win.
The Lightning had 17 shots on goal before the Rangers got their first nearly 11 minutes into the game. Lundqvist kept New York's deficit to 2-0 through one period but was pulled after allowing two more goals in the second period.
Cirelli, playing his fourth career game, helped the Lightning improve to 8-0-1 in their past nine games. Adam Erne, Cedric Paquette. Tyler Johnson and Chris Kunitz also scored, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves for his league-leading 40th victory, which ties the franchise record.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
TAMPA, Fla. - Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is strongly leaning toward not taking part in the Home Run Derby at this year's All-Star Game.
Judge won the derby last season in Miami, went on to hit 52 homers with 114 RBIs in his first full major league season and was a unanimous pick as AL Rookie of the Year,
"A cool experience," Judge said Thursday. "I enjoyed it all, but I don't think I really needed to go out there and do it again. I won it once. One and done is good for me."
Judge was hitting .329 with 30 homers and 66 RBIs at the All-Star break, then batted .179 with seven homers and 16 RBIs with 67 strikeouts in his next 44 games through the end of August.
"The derby wasn't even that big of a toll, to be honest," he said. "It's just like taking BP. It really wasn't too taxing. I wasn't trying to swing 110 percent, I was taking a normal 80, 90 percent swing, trying to make contact."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: AP, AFP
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