NKorea Tests Weapon, Wants Pompeo Out 04/18 06:33
NKorea Tests Weapon, Wants Pompeo Out 04/18 06:33 North Korea said Thursday that it had test-fired a new type of "tactical guided weapon," its first such test in nearly half a year, and demanded that Washington remove Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from nuclear negotiations. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea said Thursday that it had test-fired a new type of "tactical guided weapon," its first such test in nearly half a year, and demanded that Washington remove Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from nuclear negotiations. The test, which didn't appear to be of a banned mid- or long-range ballistic missile that could scuttle negotiations, allows Pyongyang to show its people it is pushing ahead with weapons development while also reassuring domestic military officials worried that diplomacy with Washington signals weakness. Separately, Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry accused Pompeo of playing down the significance of comments by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who said last week that Washington has until the end of the year to offer mutually acceptable terms for an agreement to salvage the high-stakes nuclear diplomacy. Both the demand for Pompeo's removal from the talks and the weapon test point to Pyongyang's displeasure with the deadlocked negotiations. In a statement issued under the name of Kwon Jong Gun, director general of the American Affairs Department at Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry, North Korea accused Pompeo of "talking nonsense" and misrepresenting Kim's comments. During a speech at Texas A&M on Monday, Pompeo said Kim promised to denuclearize during his first summit with President Donald Trump and that U.S. officials were working with the North Koreans to "chart a path forward so we can get there." "He (Kim) said he wanted it done by the end of the year," Pompeo said. "I'd love to see that done sooner." The North Korean statement said Pompeo was "misrepresenting the meaning of our requirement" for the negotiations to be finalized by the year's end, and referred to his "talented skill of fabricating stories." It said Pompeo's continued participation in the negotiations would ensure that the talks become "entangled" and called for a different counterpart who is "more careful and mature in communicating with us." In a speech at his rubber-stamp parliament last week, Kim said he is open to a third summit with Trump, but only if the United States changes its stance on sanctions enforcement and pressure by the end of the year. Kim observed the unspecified weapon being fired Wednesday by the Academy of Defense Science, the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency said. Kim was reported to have said "the development of the weapon system serves as an event of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power of the People's Army." The Associated Press could not independently verify North Korea's claim, and it wasn't immediately clear what had been tested. A major ballistic missile test would jeopardize the diplomatic talks meant to provide the North with concessions in return for disarmament. A South Korean analyst said that details in the North's media report indicate it could have been a new type of cruise missile. Another possible clue: one of the lower level officials mentioned in the North's report on the test --- Pak Jong Chon --- is known as an artillery official. Some in Seoul worry that the North will turn back to actions seen as provocative by outsiders as a way to force Washington to drop its hard-line negotiating stance and grant the North's demand for a removal of crushing international sanctions. A string of increasingly powerful weapons tests in 2017 and Trump's response of "fire and fury" had many fearing war before the North shifted to diplomacy. Media reports have suggested Kim may visit Vladivostok, Russia, next week for a summit with President Vladimir Putin. Japan's Fuji Television Network on Wednesday showed Kim's de facto chief of staff, Kim Chang Son, visiting an area near Vladivostok's train station. Trump said last month that he "would be very disappointed if I saw testing." There have been fresh reports of new activity at a North Korean missile research center and long-range rocket site where Pyongyang is believed to build missiles targeting the U.S. mainland. North Korean media said Wednesday that Kim guided a flight drill of combat pilots from an air force and anti-aircraft unit tasked with defending Pyongyang from an attack. Kim Dong-yub, an analyst from Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said North Korea's descriptions of the test show the weapon is possibly a newly developed cruise missile. The North's report said the "tactical guided weapon" successfully tested in a "peculiar mode of guiding flight" and demonstrated the ability to deliver a "powerful warhead." The analyst said the test could also be intended as a message to the North Korean people and military of a commitment to maintaining a strong level of defense even as it continues talks with Washington over nukes. Melissa Hanham, a non-proliferation expert and director of the Datayo Project at the One Earth Future Foundation, said the North Korean weapon could be anything from an anti-tank weapon to a cruise missile. The North said Thursday that Kim Jong Un mounted an observation post to learn about and guide the test-fire of the weapon. This is the first known time Kim has observed the testing of a newly developed weapon system since last November, when North Korean media said he watched the successful test of an unspecified "newly developed ultramodern tactical weapon." Some observers have been expecting North Korea to orchestrate "low-level provocations," like artillery or short-range missile tests, to register its anger over the way nuclear negotiations were going. North Korean officials accompanying Kim at the test included Ri Pyong Chol and Kim Jong Sik, two senior officials from the North's Munitions Industry Department who have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for their activities related to the country's ballistic missile program. Ri is believed to be a key official involved in North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile development, while Kim Jong Sik has been linked to the country's efforts to build solid-fuel missiles. The Pyongyang-based Munitions Industry Department is sanctioned both by the United States and the U.N. Security Council. "Even if this is not a 'missile' test the way we strictly define it, these people and MID are all sanctioned entities for a reason," Hanham said. The White House said it was aware of the report and had no comment. The Pentagon also said it was aware but had no information to provide at this point. South Korea's presidential office said it has no immediate comment. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it is analyzing the test but did not specifically say what the weapon appeared to be. After the animosity of 2017, last year saw a stunning turn to diplomacy, culminating in the first-ever summit between Washington and Pyongyang in Singapore, and then the Hanoi talks this year. North Korea has suspended nuclear and long-range rocket tests, and the North and South Korean leaders have met three times. But there are growing worries that the progress could be killed by mismatched demands between Washington and Pyongyang over sanctions relief and disarmament. (KA)
Barr to Discuss Report Ahead of Release04/18 06:40
Barr to Discuss Report Ahead of Release04/18 06:40 After nearly two years of waiting, America will get some answers straight from Robert Mueller but not before President Donald Trump's attorney general has his say. WASHINGTON (AP) -- After nearly two years of waiting, America will get some answers straight from Robert Mueller--- but not before President Donald Trump's attorney general has his say. The Justice Department on Thursday is expected to release a redacted version of the special counsel's report on Russian election interference and the Trump campaign, opening up months, if not years, of fights over what the document means in a deeply divided country. Even the planned release of the nearly 400-page report quickly spiraled into a political battle Wednesday over whether Attorney General William Barr is attempting to shield the president who appointed him and spin the report's findings before the American people can read it and come to their own judgments. Barr will hold a 9:30 a.m. news conference to present his interpretation of the report's findings, before providing redacted copies to Congress and the public. The news conference, first announced by Trump during a radio interview, provoked immediate criticism from congressional Democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Barr had "thrown out his credibility & the DOJ's independence with his single-minded effort to protect" Trump. And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "The process is poisoned before the report is even released." "Barr shouldn't be spinning the report at all, but it's doubly outrageous he's doing it before America is given a chance to read it," Schumer said. Hours before Barr's press conference, Pelosi and Schumer issued a joint statement calling for Mueller to appear before Congress "as soon as possible." They said Barr's "partisan handling" of the report has "resulted in a crisis of confidence in his independence and impartiality." A Justice Department official confirmed Barr's plan to speak and answer questions about his "process" before the report's public release. He will be accompanied by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversaw the investigation after Mueller's appointment in May 2017. Mueller and other members of his team will not attend, special counsel spokesman Peter Carr said. After the news conference, the report will be delivered to Congress on CDs between 11 a.m. and noon and then be posted on the special counsel's website, said the official, who wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Barr formulated the report's roll-out and briefed the White House on his plans, according to a White House official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The White House declined to comment on an ABC News report that it had been briefed on the contents of Mueller's report beyond what Barr has made public. At a later date, the Justice Department also plans to provide a "limited number" of members of Congress and their staff access to a copy of the Mueller report with fewer redactions than the public version, according to a court filing Wednesday. The report is expected to reveal what Mueller uncovered about ties between the Trump campaign and Russia that fell short of criminal conduct. It will also lay out the special counsel's conclusions about formative episodes in Trump's presidency, including his firing of FBI Director James Comey and his efforts to undermine the Russia investigation publicly and privately. The report is not expected to place the president in legal jeopardy, as Barr made his own decision that Trump shouldn't be prosecuted for obstruction. But it is likely to contain unflattering details about the president's efforts to control the Russia investigation that will cloud his ability to credibly claim total exoneration. And it may paint the Trump campaign as eager to exploit Russian aid and emails stolen from Democrats and Hillary Clinton's campaign even if no Americans crossed the line into criminal activity. The report's release will be a test of Barr's credibility as the public and Congress judge whether he is using his post to protect Trump. Barr will also face scrutiny over how much of the report he blacks out and whether Mueller's document lines up with a letter the attorney general released last month. The letter said Mueller didn't find a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russian government but he found evidence on "both sides" of the question of whether the president obstructed justice. Barr has said he is withholding grand jury and classified information as well as portions relating to ongoing investigation and the privacy or reputation of uncharged "peripheral" people. But how liberally he interprets those categories is yet to be seen. Democrats have vowed to fight in court for the disclosure of the additional information from the report and say they have subpoenas ready to go if it is heavily redacted. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said Wednesday he will "probably find it useful" to call Mueller and members of his team to testify after reading the version of the report Barr releases. Nadler also criticized the attorney general for trying to "bake in the narrative" of the report to the benefit of the White House. Late Wednesday, Nadler joined the chairs of four other House committees in calling for Barr to cancel his news conference. But Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, defended Barr and accused Democrats of "trying to spin the report." Collins said Barr has done "nothing unilaterally," saying he had worked with Rosenstein and Mueller's team "step by step." Mueller is known to have investigated multiple efforts by the president over the last two years to influence the Russia probe or shape public perception of it. In addition to Comey's firing, Mueller scrutinized the president's request of Comey to end an investigation into Trump's first national security adviser; his relentless badgering of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his recusal from the Russia investigation; and his role in drafting an incomplete explanation about a meeting his oldest son took at Trump Tower with a Kremlin-connected lawyer. Overall, Mueller brought charges against 34 people --- including six Trump aides and advisers --- and revealed a sophisticated, wide-ranging Russian effort to influence the 2016 presidential election. Twenty-five of those charged were Russians accused either in the hacking of Democratic email accounts or of a hidden but powerful social media effort to spread disinformation online. Five former Trump aides or advisers pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in Mueller's investigation, including Trump's campaign chairman, national security adviser and personal lawyer. (CZ)
Trump Advisor in Moscow for Talks 04/18 06:29
Trump Advisor in Moscow for Talks 04/18 06:29 The Kremlin spokesman says a U.S. presidential adviser has traveled to Russia for talks. MOSCOW (AP) -- The Kremlin spokesman says a U.S. presidential adviser has traveled to Russia for talks. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Thursday that Fiona Hill, Special Assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump, held talks in Moscow on Wednesday with several Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin's foreign affairs adviser. A U.S. embassy official who asked to be unnamed because the statements about Hill's visits should be made by the National Security Council confirmed the visit to the Associated Press. Peskov said Hill and Russian officials discussed bilateral issues but did not discuss a potential meeting between Putin and Trump. The news comes on the day that the U.S. Justice Department is expected to release a redacted version of the special counsel's report on Russian election interference and Trump's campaign. (KA)
Trump Cracks Down on Cuba, Venezuela 04/18 06:36
Trump Cracks Down on Cuba, Venezuela 04/18 06:36 CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -- The Trump administration on Wednesday intensified its crackdown on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, rolling back Obama administration policy and announcing new restrictions and sanctions against the three countries whose leaders national security adviser John Bolton dubbed the "three stooges of socialism." "The troika of tyranny --- Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua --- is beginning to crumble," Bolton said in a hard-hitting speech near Miami on the 58th anniversary of the United States' failed Bay of Pigs invasion of the island, an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government. The measures seem likely to hit hardest in Cuba, which is at a moment of severe economic weakness as it struggles to find cash to import basic food and other supplies following a drop in aid from Venezuela and a string of bad years in other key economic sectors. Bolton announced a new cap on the amount of money that families in the United States can send their relatives in Cuba. The Obama administration had lifted limits on remittances, but the new limit will be $1,000 per person per quarter. Remittances to Cuba from the United States amounted to $3 billion in 2016, according to the State Department. Washington also moved to restrict "non-family travel" after a broad loosening of so-called purposeful visits under Obama led to soaring numbers of American trips for cultural and educational exchanges. Details on the restrictions were not immediately clear, but tourism is a key lifeline of hard currency for Cuba. Bolton called such visits "veiled tourism." Bolton spoke hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a new policy allowing lawsuits against foreign firms operating on properties Cuba seized from Americans after the 1959 revolution. The United States has enforced a trade embargo against Cuba since the early 1960s. Cuban officials met the announcements with defiance. "Nobody will snatch away from us, neither through seduction nor force, 'the Fatherland that our parents won for us by standing up,'" President Miguel Daz-Canel said via Twitter. "We Cubans will not surrender." Foreign Minister Bruno Rodrguez called it an attack on international law, Cuban sovereignty and countries that would do business with the island: "Aggressive escalation by (hashtag)US against Cuba will fail. Like at Giron, we will be victorious," he tweeted, referring to a Bay of Pigs beach where invaders landed. "We will always be willing to have a dialogue based on absolute respect, but if the U.S. government has chosen a confrontational path we will not hesitate to defend the gains of the revolution at any cost," Rodrguez later said on state television. On Venezuela, Bolton said Washington was sanctioning the country's Central Bank, which the Trump administration says has been instrumental in propping up the embattled government of President Nicols Maduro. The sanctions do not bar humanitarian aid or private remittances and aim to ensure reliability of debit and credit card transactions, which have become essential amid skyrocketing inflation and a shortage of cash notes. Maduro called the move the latest example of "imperialist aggression." In a nationally broadcast TV appearance, he said any nation's central bank is "sacred" and deserves respect. "I see imperialism as crazy, desperate," Maduro said. Bolton also announced sanctions against financial services provider Bancorp, which he claimed is a "slush fund" for Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. "The United States looks forward to watching each corner of this sordid triangle of terror fall: in Havana, in Caracas, and in Managua," Bolton said in South Florida, which is home to many thousands of exiles and immigrants from the three countries. He said Obama administration policies had given the Cuban government "political cover to expand its malign influence" across the region, including in Venezuela. Cuba has trained Venezuelan security forces to repress civilians and support Maduro, Bolton said, calling Maduro "quite simply a Cuban puppet." Bolton's pledge to "never, ever abandon" the people of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua in their fight for freedom also might ring hollow in light of the historical events he sought to highlight at the event hosted by the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association. Many Cuban Americans to this day resent the late President John F. Kennedy for not deploying American troops at a critical moment in the Bay of Pigs invasion. Meanwhile, with the high stakes of the Cold War a fading memory, some critics of U.S. policy toward Venezuela worry the Trump administration's stance that all options are on the table, including a military one, to oust Maduro is an empty threat that will only serve to ignite the streets and geopolitical tensions with Russia, compounding the misery of Venezuelan citizens. "Honoring one of U.S.' greatest military fiascos from 60 years back suggests U.S. policy to Latin America owes more now to a perverse Cold War nostalgia than practical benefits for people of the region," said Ivan Briscoe, the Latin American director for the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank. Collin Laverty, president of Cuba Educational Travel, said in a statement that the measures on remittances and travel threaten the economic survival of Cuban families and the viability of thousands of independent small businesses allowed to operate since 2010 under reforms implemented by former President Ral Castro. "The only winners here are a handful of members of Congress and those stuck in the past that support them," Laverty said. "The losers are millions of Cubans on and off the island and the overwhelming majority of Americans that support engagement with Cuba." Many of the 400 or so who paid $100 to attend Bolton's speech at the Biltmore in South Florida were of Cuban descent. Rafael UsaTorres, a member of the 2506 Brigade that worked for the CIA at the time of the invasion, said he has faith the measures will bring down Daz-Canel's government, though he wished it had been done sooner. "Today is a big day," the 78-year-old said. "But I feel very sad --- too many years waiting." Others said Washington isn't going far enough. Manuel Menendez-Pou, 79, said the Cuban government had confiscated some $63 million in property from his family, once one of the wealthiest on the island, mainly in the sugar industry. "The problem is not the money," Menendez-Pou, also a former member of the brigade, said minutes before the speech. "They stole our life." In Havana, homemaker Odalis Salazar worried about the future of remittances she receives from two children living abroad, including one in the United States. "It hurts everyone and Trump is absolutely criminal, because he knows that ... (the remittances) help us a lot," Salazar said. "We Cubans have families there and we get by largely with that help that they send us." Pompeo's decision on allowing lawsuits lets Americans, including Cubans who became naturalized citizens, sue companies that operate out of hotels, tobacco factories, distilleries and other properties nationalized after Fidel Castro took power. Pompeo said he would not renew a bar on litigation that has been in place for two decades, meaning lawsuits can be filed starting May 2, when the current suspension expires. The Justice Department has certified roughly 6,000 claims as having merit, said Kimberly Breier, the top U.S. diplomat for the Americas. Those claims have an estimated value of $8 billion: $2 billion in property and $6 billion in interest, she said. An additional 200,000 uncertified claims could run into the tens of billions of dollars, she said. Breier said there would be no exceptions to the policy, but foreign companies "will have nothing to worry about if they are not operating on properties taken from Americans." Nonetheless, companies in the European Union and Canadian companies stand to lose tens of billions in compensation and interest, and the decision prompted stern responses and vows to protect businesses from lawsuits. In a statement, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland called the decision to remove the longstanding waivers "regrettable" and said it "can only lead to an unnecessary spiral of legal actions." In Spain, which has large investments in hotels and other tourism-related ventures on the island, a senior government official said Madrid would ask the EU to mount a challenge at the World Trade Organization. "The extraterritorial application of the U.S. embargo is illegal and violates international law," said Alberto Navarro, EU ambassador to Cuba. (KA)
Populists Expected to Gain in EU Vote 04/18 06:39
Populists Expected to Gain in EU Vote 04/18 06:39 BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Parliament is predicting that nationalist, populist and anti-migrant groups will make significant gains in the May 23-26 EU elections but says it thinks mainstream parties will keep control over the assembly. Projections released Thursday suggest the center-right European People's Party will remain the biggest group, with 180 seats in the 751-seat parliament, down 37 seats. The center-left Socialists and Democrats would drop from 186 to 149 seats. The Europe of Nations and Freedom group, which combines right-wing and far-right parties like Italy's Liga, Britain's UKIP and France's National Rally would win 62 seats, compared to 37 currently. New parties like former UKIP figurehead Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, which are listed as "other," are expected to expand from 21 seats to 62. The data is collected from national surveys and assumes that Britain will participate. (KA)
Filipinos Evacuate Libya Capital 04/18 06:32
Filipinos Evacuate Libya Capital 04/18 06:32 MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Philippine diplomats have started evacuating a small group of Filipinos from the Libyan capital after it was hit by a barrage of rocket fire that wounded one Filipino, officials said Thursday. Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Emmanuel Fernandez said in Manila that three hospital workers and four students were evacuated by Philippine Embassy personnel from Tripoli to Tunisia, where they are to take flights back home. Manila's top diplomat in Tripoli, Elmer Cato, said 13 more Filipinos have sought help and are expected to be flown back home in the next few days. But of about 1,000 Filipinos in Tripoli, only 20 have so far asked to be repatriated, including a man who was wounded in the rocket fire late Tuesday in the Libyan capital, he said. About 50 other Filipino workers have been evacuated to safer areas within Libya by their employers, Cato said. There are more than 2,000 Filipinos in Libya, mostly working as nurses, teachers and oil industry workers. "They have to stay here and take the risk because they have to provide for their families back home," Cato told The Associated Press in a cellphone message, adding that Filipino nurses in Libya are treated well and receive much higher salaries, along with other benefits. Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila raised the threat level in Libya's capital to 3 and urged Filipinos and their dependents in Tripoli and outlying areas to consider leaving temporarily to avoid getting caught in the fighting. If the threat level is raised to 4, the government would have to implement a forced evacuation of Filipinos. The Philippine labor department has also imposed a ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Libya, particularly in Tripoli and areas within a 100-kilometer (62-mile) radius of the capital, because of fighting between rival militias for control of the North African nation's capital. Many of the Filipinos in Tripoli refuse to return home because they feel the ongoing fighting would eventually ease, but Cato said that after the volleys of rocket fire hit Tripoli for the first time this week, some have started to consider to leave. The Philippines is one of the world's major labor providers, with a tenth of its more than 100 million people working abroad, including many house helpers and construction workers. The income they send home has helped the Philippine economy stay afloat in dire economic times. The wounded Filipino in Tripoli, Rolando Torres, was in his living room when he was startled by two powerful explosions outside his house. He ran to another room to check what happened but before he could open a window, he heard another loud blast, which sent debris flying that wounded him in the forehead, Cato said. Torres, a warehouse worker, immediately called the Philippine Embassy and was fetched later from his house. The rocket fire struck a Tripoli community where more than 200 Filipino nurses and their dependents live. They stayed put and treated the wounded, mostly Libyans, in a clinic, Cato said. On Wednesday night, the Philippine Embassy received reports that rockets struck a hospital south of Tripoli, where 15 Filipino nurses work. Filipino embassy personnel could not reach the Filipinos for hours but later managed to contact the hospital owner, who reported that the Filipinos were fine and would be moved to safety soon, Cato said. (KA)
France to Hold Tribute to Firefighters 04/18 06:35
France to Hold Tribute to Firefighters 04/18 06:35 PARIS (AP) -- France is paying a daylong tribute Thursday to the Paris firefighters who saved the internationally revered Notre Dame Cathedral from collapse and rescued its treasures from encroaching flames. French President Emmanuel Macron will host the firefighters for a special gathering to share "words of thanks," according to his office. Top government ministers will also take part in the event at the presidential palace in Paris. Later, Paris City Hall will hold a ceremony in the firefighters' honor, with a Bach violin concert, two giant banners strung from the monumental city headquarters and readings from Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." More than 400 firefighters took part in the nine-hour battle to save the 12th-century Notre Dame on Monday evening. Its spire collapsed and roof was destroyed, but its iconic towers, rose windows, famed organ and precious artworks were saved. Remarkably, no one was killed in the fire, which occurred during a Mass, after firefighters and church officials speedily evacuated those inside. Among the firefighters being honored Thursday is Paris fire brigade chaplain Jean-Marc Fournier, who helped salvage the crown of thorns believed to have been worn by Jesus at his crucifixion. Another is Myriam Chudzinski, among the first firefighters to reach the roof as the blaze raged. Loaded with gear, they climbed hundreds of steps up the narrow spiral staircase to the top of one of the two towers. She had trained at the cathedral for just this moment. "We knew that the roof was burning, but we didn't really know the intensity," she told reporters. "It was from upstairs that you understood that it was really dramatic. It was very hot and we had to retreat, retreat. It was spreading quickly." She heard a roar, but her focus was on saving the tower. She learned later that it was the sound of the spire collapsing. Investigators so far believe the fire was accidental, and are questioning both cathedral staff and workers who were carrying out renovations to the cathedral before the fire broke out. Some 40 people have been questioned and some are being questioned again Thursday, according the Paris prosecutor's office. Fire officials warn that the massive cathedral still remains fragile, and are removing some statues above the rose windows to keep them from falling. The building would have burned to the ground in a "chain-reaction collapse" had firefighters not moved as rapidly as they did to battle the blaze racing through the building, said Jos Vaz de Matos, a fire expert with France's Culture Ministry. An initial fire alert was sounded at 6:20 p.m., as a Mass was underway in the cathedral, but no fire was found. A second alarm went off at 6:43 p.m., and the blaze was discovered on the roof. Macron wants to rebuild the cathedral within five years --- in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics that Paris is hosting --- but experts have questioned whether that's realistic, given the vast scale of the work to be done. One said the Notre Dame rebuilding project would easily take 15 years. Nearly $1 billion has been pledged for the cathedral's restoration. The bells of cathedrals across France rang in a moving tribute Wednesday to Notre Dame and the firefighters. (KA)
Stocks Cap Shortened Week With Gains 04/18 16:04
Stocks Cap Shortened Week With Gains 04/18 16:04 The major U.S. stock indexes capped a holiday shortened week with slight gains Thursday, reversing some of the modest losses from a day earlier. (AP) -- The major U.S. stock indexes capped a holiday shortened week with slight gains Thursday, reversing some of the modest losses from a day earlier. The marginal upward move was not enough to keep the benchmark S&P 500 index from snapping a string of three straight weekly gains. Industrial sector stocks paved the way higher as traders welcomed solid earnings from Snap-on, Honeywell International, United Rentals and Union Pacific. Technology companies also notched solid gains, offsetting losses by financial and energy stocks. Traders gave a strong reception to Pinterest and Zoom Video Communications, two technology companies that made their widely anticipated stock market debuts. Cigarette makers fell on news that the U.S. Senate's majority leader plans to introduce legislation to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21. Investors remain focused on company earnings as they look for clues about the health of the U.S. economy and the prospects for better corporate profits, a key driver of stock market gains. Analysts expect the wave of first quarter results for S&P 500 companies being reported over the next few weeks will be the weakest in nearly three years. "The big takeaway over the past week is the U.S. is doing OK and (company) outlooks are initially reasonable," said Ben Phillips, chief investment officer at EventShares. The S&P 500 gained 4.58 points, or 0.2%, to 2,905.03. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 110 points, or 0.4%, to 26,559.54. The Nasdaq composite inched 1.98 points higher, or less than 0.1%, to 7,998.06. The Russell 2000 index of small-cap dropped 1.85 points, or 0.1%, to 1,565.75. Major European stock indexes finished mostly higher. Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10 year Treasury fell to 2.56% from 2.59% late Wednesday. The U.S. stock indexes struggled to maintain momentum for much of the day before locking in slight gains by the end of the day. The market has been charting an uneven course all week as traders wade through company earnings reports. Even so, stocks are still holding on to blockbuster gains after rebounding from a steep sell-off late last year. The S&P 500 remains within 1% of its most recent all-time high on September 20. The Federal Reserve helped spur the market's rebound early this year when it said that it may not raise interest rates at all in 2019. Still, investors are looking at company earnings as they divine which direction the stocks will churn next. "We haven't really gotten to the meat of earnings season and (investors) want to see some really positive guidance and they want to make sure earnings are growing," said Karyn Cavanaugh, senior markets strategist at Voya Investment Management. "We have a high bar to jump over from last year, because in the first quarter we had that one-time tax bump." Several industrial sector stocks surged after reporting solid quarterly results Thursday. Snap-On climbed 6.5% after the tool and diagnostic equipment maker's first quarter profit beat forecasts and it reported growth in its U.S. franchise network. Union Pacific gained 4.4% after the railroad's first quarter profit climbed 6% even though the company hauled 2% fewer carloads and dealt with massive flooding. Union Pacific's earnings topped analysts' estimates, though its revenue declined, falling short of analysts' forecasts. United Rentals surged 8.1% after the construction equipment rental company's first quarter results beat Wall Street's expectations. Honeywell International picked up 3.8% after its first quarter earnings topped analysts' forecasts thanks to a strong sales growth in aerospace, building technologies and other lines of business. The company also raised its earnings guidance for the year. Results from other companies left traders wanting. Skechers USA tumbled 10.4% after the footwear company's first quarter result fell short of Wall Street's forecasts. The company also issued second quarter guidance that came in below analysts' estimates. KeyCorp fell 2.2% after the bank's latest quarterly snapshot missed analysts' targets as income from fees declined. Shares in cigarette makers fell after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he plans to introduce legislation to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 nationally. The Senate leader said his bill will cover all tobacco products, including vaping devices, and will continue to hold retailers responsible for verifying the age of anyone buying tobacco products. About a dozen states have already enacted laws raising the minimum legal age to 21. Altria Group fell 3.2% and Philip Morris International dropped 1.2%. Pinterest and Zoom surged in their first day of trading. Pinterest, which lets users share images of crafts and other projects, jumped 28.4% from its IPO pricing of $19. Zoom, a maker of video conference technology, vaulted 72.2% from its IPO pricing of $36. The San Francisco-based companies' market debuts came less than a month after ride-hailing service Lyft began trading. In what might be a cautionary tale for other anticipated tech IPOs, Lyft shares surged on their first day but have since plunged back below their original offering price. The market also got a boost from positive economic data on U.S. retail sales and unemployment claims. The Commerce Department said retail sales surged in March at the fastest pace since late 2017, driven by increased spending on autos, gasoline, furniture and clothing. The gains are a sign that the healthy job market has likely made consumers more eager to spend in ways that boost overall economic growth. Meanwhile, the Labor Department said weekly applications for unemployment aid declined last week. "Let's face it, the consumer is the driving force of the U.S. economy, and when you get good initial jobless claims and good retail sales it just confirms the fact that the consumer is very strong, and that's what's giving investors a little bit of comfort," Cavanaugh said. U.S. stock markets are closing Friday in observance of the Good Friday holiday. Energy futures finished mostly higher Thursday. Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 0.4% to settle at $64 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 0.5% lower to close at $71.97 per barrel. Wholesale gasoline gained 1.5% to $2.07 per gallon, while heating oil inched 0.1% higher to $2.07 per gallon. Natural gas fell 1.1% to $2.49 per 1,000 cubic feet. Gold slipped 0.1% to $1,276 per ounce, silver rose 0.1% to $14.96 per ounce and copper fell 1.6% to $2.92 per pound. The dollar fell to 111.93 Japanese yen from 112.07 yen late Wednesday. The euro weakened to $1.1230 from $1.1298. (BAS)
