Trump Warns Cuba on Venezuela
By Steve Herman/Voice of America, edited by Diálogo May 03, 2019 U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening Cuba with “full and complete embargo” of the island and the “highest-level sanctions” if the communist government does not immediately cease military and other support for Venezuela. The April 30 tweeted demand comes as the White House anxiously watches what it acknowledges is a tipping point in Venezuela, hoping for a groundswell of support there by citizens and the military that would peacefully allow Juan Guaidó to quickly take power from Nicolás Maduro. Minutes after Trump’s tweet, his secretary of state asserted that Maduro had been prepared to depart Venezuela on the morning of April 30 but was talked out of it by the Russians. “He was headed for Havana,” Mike Pompeo said on CNN. Asked to say something directly to Maduro, Pompeo replied: “Fire up the plane.” Of the Cubans, Pompeo said, “It is unacceptable that they are protecting this thug.” Earlier in the day, National Security Adviser John Bolton acknowledged “a very serious situation” in the South American country and said Trump was monitoring it “minute by minute.” The Trump administration blames Cuban and Russian support for maintaining Maduro in power. In 2013, he succeeded the late Hugo Chávez, who had come to power in 1998 by winning an election following his unsuccessful coup attempt. “We expect the Russians not to interfere in Venezuela,” Bolton told reporters April 30 outside the White House West Wing. Bolton, further indicating the uncertainty of success for Guaidó, who is backed by the United States and dozens of other countries, called for Venezuela’s defense minister, its supreme court chief judge and the commander of the presidential guard “to act this afternoon or evening [of April 30]” and support the action to remove Maduro from power. At a U.S. State Department briefing, the agency’s special representative for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, said it appears the three top-level Maduro officials are not going forward with what they had promised during internal Venezuelan negotiations. “If this effort fails, they will sink into a dictatorship from which there are very few possible alternatives,” predicted Bolton. In response to a VOA question about what happens next if Guaidó is not able to prevail on April 30, Bolton replied it is possible the current situation could persist. “We don’t see any indication that there’s any substantial part of the military that’s ready to fire on innocent civilians, their fellow countrymen,” added Bolton. The national security adviser downplayed a televised scene of a military vehicle running over demonstrators who had been pelting the armored personnel carrier with stones. “It could be an isolated incident,” he said. Bolton declined to say what kind of support the United States is currently providing on the ground besides humanitarian assistance. As he and the U.S. president have emphasized repeatedly for months, Bolton said all options remain on the table when asked about the possibility of U.S. military intervention. “I’m simply not going to be more specific to that,” he added. What is happening in Venezuela is confusing, and the U.S. government is receiving conflicting information, according to Abrams. Administration officials say Guaidó’s attempt to take power should not be regarded as a coup attempt because the national assembly leader is already recognized as the head of state by Western governments. Besides Cuba and Russia, countries such as China and Turkey continue to regard Maduro as Venezuela’s president.
In a January 12 letter to Congressional leaders the American Bankers association continued their push for credit union taxation and to limit credit unions to serving only members of modest means. Below is an excerpt from that letter and here is a link to the full document:Enhancing Charter Diversity and Leveling the Playing FieldA diverse and safe banking sector must be flexible while also ensuring that all financial service providers compete on a level playing field. The ABA will pursue legislation that provides taxpaying saving institutions and Subchapter S banks with protection and charter flexibility, as well as opportunities for increased capital raising to support economic growth. In addition, ABA will pursue equal tax and regulatory treatment for credit unions that have gone beyond their core mission to serve people of modest means. Likewise, lawmakers should reexamine and eliminate the Farm Credit System’s tax-favored status and subject the system to much greater scrutiny to ensure its lending is focused on agriculture. Stronger oversight of the fast growing credit union industry and Farm Credit System is long overdue, and we urge bipartisan support for a congressional review of these entities. It might be the case that banks would be willing to accept a marginal tax on credit unions to get the ball rolling or maybe I could say with confidence that no legislation in the 114th Congress will threaten that tax status of credit unions. How much are you willing to bet, no matter what the odds are? The fact is that for credit unions taxation either is or it is not. For many tax provisions being considered for reform there is a margin of negotiation surrounding impact or level of a tax/credit. Since my time in Congress I have been involved in the development of tax law in a variety of capacities and in a variety of industries and I know that compromise is necessary to get things done. The issue for credit unions is that there is not much to negotiate when it comes to our tax status. We are either exempt or we are not.As the ABA letter illuminates credit union taxation continues to be a top priority for bank trade groups and advocates throughout Washington. The danger is that, even if there is a slim chance that they will be successful, the credit union response should be as if that odds are that their efforts will prevail. This is due to the fact that there is no degree of taxation that is acceptable. Even if there was opportunity for negotiation about a credit union tax (which I feel would be limited, if only by the legislative process) the fact remains that once the door is open at all a wider breach is very likely to follow. So for us we battle like it is everything to ensure it amounts to nothing.Of course CUNA, the Leagues and NAFCU and the phenomenal teams of advocates they support are working tirelessly to ensure that the tax status of credit unions continues to be recognized. There is plenty that each of us can do and the message, as is often the case with our wonderful movement, gets spoken loudest through our actions. The testimony of credit union members and their experiences with our attentive service rings true on Capitol Hill. When you are reaching out to your representatives make a point to highlight the member experiences and core principles in action that are the fuel that keeps our movement running strong. Certainly pushing back on the concept that credit unions should only be limited to serving those of modest means should be a top talking point. Finally, driving home the point at every opportunity that the credit union tax status is central to the role we play in the financial services industry. Credit unions provide the most significant counterpoint to banks and our member service sets the gold standard. 8SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Daniel Mica Dan Mica, former head of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), established The DMA Group as a means to combine a myriad of experience into a one-stop consultancy. Elected in … Web: www.dmagroupdc.com Details
ShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr by: Henry MeierWhenever I get a chance I like to remind credit unions of the big issues right around the bend. It’s important to pullback the lens and look at the forest instead of the trees.One of the biggest shifts on the horizon is the movement of NACHA towards mandatory same-day settlement of ACH transactions. It’s important not only because of its operational impact but also because, when fully implemented, it could either provide needed compensation for credit unions or conversely become the next frontier of regulator micro management in the name of so called consumer protection.Under existing NACHA rules, ACH payments are settled by the next business day. New rules, once fully phased in over a three stage process starting in September 23, 2016 , mandate that NACHA network participants must be able to process payments the day they are received if requested to so by the financial institution that originates the transaction (The ODFI). Specifically same-day settlement requests received by Receiving Depository Financial Institutions by 1030AM Eastern Time will have to be processed by 1:00 PM and payments received by 3:00 would have to be processed by 5:00PM. continue reading »
23/70 Love St, Bulimba.Belle Property Coorparoo selling agent Melanie Thomas said the unit was perfectly placed for city professionals, downsizers and investors.“This impeccably presented property is ideally located within a strolling distance to Oxford Street restaurants, cafes and shopping, as well as the local parklands and CityCat ferry.The property also has airconditioning and lift access. 23/70 Love St, Bulimba.The stylish design, quality finishes and elevated district views to the city are combined to great effect in this spacious apartment.More from newsCrowd expected as mega estate goes under the hammer7 Aug 2020Hard work, resourcefulness and $17k bring old Ipswich home back to life20 Apr 2020The single-level layout features 80sq m of living space. 23/70 Love St, Bulimba.There is a large covered terrace for entertaining against a superb district backdrop. The new owners can enjoy the swimming pool, communal barbecue area and on-site management.Mr Thorton said the property would be ideally suited to downsizers wanting to get the most out of the area. 23/70 Love St, Bulimba.Matt and Melissa Thornton are building their dream home and have reluctantly decided to sell their Bulimba unit.The couple, who have two children, aged nine and 11, have owned the property for the last seven years.Mr Thornton, a schoolteacher, said they were investing in a property at Minnippi.They chose to live at 23/70 Love St, Bulimba, for the lifestyle, access to the ferry and Oxford St.“We were originally going to keep our property to downsize for our retirement but that’s changed,” he said. 23/70 Love St, Bulimba.He said his favourite part of the property was the outlook to the park across the road.“I like sitting on the deck, there’s nice views to the dog park,” Mr Thornton said. “The kids play across the road in the park too.”
On Sunday, Spurs came from behind for a much-needed win as Son Heung-min cancelled out Alexandre Lacazette’s stunning strike before Toby Alderweireld powered home the winner nine minutes from time. However, Arsenal quickly undid that good work as Sead Kolasinac’s wayward pass allowed Son to outsprint David Luiz before coolly chipping the ball over the onrushing Martinez.Both sides came close to scoring again before half-time as Ben Davies hit the bar for Tottenham and Nicolas Pepe curled just wide at the other end as the action mirrored a pulsating 2-2 draw at the Emirates earlier in the season, even if there was not the atmosphere synonomous with a derby.With Arteta audibly orchestrating his troops from the sidelines, Arsenal controlled long spells of the second half, but failed to make their pressure count.“If we keep playing like that and eradicate the mistakes, we are going to win many games because we make it very difficult for teams to play against us,” added Arteta.Aubameyang smashed the visitors’ best chance off the crossbar before he was denied again by Hugo Lloris flying low to his left to turn the ball behind for a corner. Read Also: Video: The moment Mourinho walks out of virtual press conferenceHowever, Spurs were always a threat on the counter-attack. Martinez had to be quick off his line to deny Son a tap in for his second after Kane outmuscled Shkodran Mustafi.Kane was then denied once more by the Argentine goalkeeper from a narrow angle, but from the resulting Son corner, Alderweireld leapt highest to head into the far corner. “It was not a great season for fans to enjoy so this is really important for that,” said Mourinho. “On top of that now we can still fight until the end for a Europa League position.” Tottenham have grown accustomed to Champions League football over the past four seasons, but Mourinho – who won the Europa League while in charge of Porto and Manchester United – is desperate for the consolation prize of a place in Europe’s second-tier competition next season. A dire 0-0 draw at relegation-threatened Bournemouth on Thursday, in which Tottenham failed to muster a single shot on target, raised more questions over their direction under Mourinho, who replaced the sacked Mauricio Pochettino in November.Advertisement “It is not a competition I am in love with, that I like much to play, but when you can’t play the Champions League, you play Europa League. I only twice in my career played in the Europa League and won it twice. It wouldn’t be bad to play a third time and to win a third time.”Defeat was the first in six games for Arsenal, who drop to ninth, as old defensive frailties came back to haunt Mikel Arteta’s men after an impressive spell.“I’m disappointed, frustrated and really sorry for the boys,” said Arteta.“The way they played showed who we are. We pressed them high for them to kick the ball long and defend in a low block. But if you give the two goals away we have given against these players, it is hard to win a derby.”There was more urgency from Spurs from the off as Lucas Moura tested Emiliano Martinez inside the first minute before the Argentine ‘keeper stood up well to deny Harry Kane’s attempted lob.Arsenal’s impressive form in recent weeks put them in position to finish above Tottenham in the table for the first time in four years. They were on course to open up a four-point lead over Spurs when Alexandre Lacazette picked up a loose ball 25 yards from goal and blasted into the top corner.Son Heung-min pounced to equalise for Tottenham The first north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium was played behind closed doors FacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmail分享 Jose Mourinho admitted Tottenham needed the boost of a 2-1 north London derby win over Arsenal to offer the club’s fans a tonic after a troubled season. A year on from reaching the Champions League final, Spurs are hoping to salvage their season just by qualifying for the Europa League as victory took them above their local rivals into eighth with three games of the Premier League season remaining. Loading… Promoted ContentBest & Worst Celebrity Endorsed Games Ever Made7 Reasons It’s Better To Be A Vegan10 Phones That Can Work For Weeks Without RechargingCouples Who Celebrated Their Union In A Unique, Unforgettable Way10 Absolutely Stunning Asian ActressesWhat Is A Black Hole In Simple Terms?What Happens To Your Brain When You Play Too Much Video Games?7 Universities In The World With The Highest Market ValueYou’ve Only Seen Such Colorful Hairdos In A Handful Of AnimeTop 7 Best Car Manufacturers Of All TimeWho Is The Most Powerful Woman On Earth?6 Extreme Facts About Hurricanes
WORLD number one Rafael Nadal beat Nick Kyrgios 6-2 6-1 in the China Open final to win his sixth title of the season.Australian Kyrgios began well but lost his way after he became frustrated by a line call in the first set in Beijing.The temperamental world number 19 continued to let the incident bother him and later received a one-point penalty for continuing to complain.French and US Open winner Nadal won nine games in a row on his way to reclaiming the trophy he won in 2005.The two players looked set for a tight contest as Kyrgios battled to fend off five break points in his opening service game.But having been angered by a line call, the Australian proceeded to complain to the umpire at two changes of end, which eventually cost him a penalty point at the start of the eighth game.Spaniard Nadal clinched his second break to take the first set, and despite a spirited response from Kyrgios, there was no stopping the 31-year-old.Goffin wins in TokyoAt the Japan Open in Tokyo, David Goffin captured his second ATP title in a week with victory over Adrian Mannarino of France.The Belgian fourth seed, fresh from his victory at the Shenzhen Open, beat the Frenchman 6-3 7-5 in one hour and 24 minutes.Goffin has now moved into the final automatic qualification spot for next month’s ATP finals in London.(BBC Sport)
ALL roads will lead to the Haslington Market tarmac tonight, when the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ East Coast Demerara edition commences with eight exciting elimination matches from 19:00hrs.In the opening match, Mahaica will oppose Liliendaal Hustlers at 19:00hrs, with Melanie-B taking aim at GWI East Coast from 19:30hrs and Belfield Warriors facing off with BV-B from 20:00hrs.In the fourth clash, Paradise-A battle Victoria from 20:30hrs, while BV-A oppose Plaisance-B at 21:00hrs and Victoria Church Yard engage Melanie-A from 21:30hrs.In the final two matches, Buxton Diamond take aim at Haslington Hypers at 22:00hrs and defending champions Uprising lock horns with Non Pareil from 22:30hrs.According to an official release, “The coordinators envision an exciting and memorable tournament, which is certainly tailored to make the fan experience an unforgettable one along the East Coast corridor for those hoping to get a glimpse of what has become the most electrifying outdoor event in the sport.”The correspondence added, “The early signs from the respective communities that will be competing in the three-day competition is that defending champions Uprising will not have it easy this time around, since teams have already begun preparations to challenge for the title.”“However, the reigning champs who had to qualify last year and subsequently became the only team to do so and win the title outright, have vowed to successfully defend their crown,” the release concluded.The tournament, which has grown both in terms of quality and crowd support, is expected to continue in that vein, while many are already touting that the turnout this year could exceed previous years.”Winners of the event will pocket $400 000 and claim the winners’ trophy. They will also earn an automatic berth to the Guinness National Championship.On the other hand, the runners-up will pocket $150 000 and the corresponding accolade, with the third- and fourth-place finishers receiving $100 000 and $75 000 respectively.
No. 4 Wisconsin picked up offensively Wednesday night where it left off on Sunday against Iowa, but it was the defensive effort in the first 20 minutes that buried No. 23 Illinois before it had a chance to fight back.The top-25 conference battle started off promising enough for Illinois with its two leading scorers Rayvonte Rice — the leading scorer in the Big Ten with 18.7 points per game coming in — and Joseph Bertrand both picking up five points in the early goings of the game.Little did Illinois coach John Groce and his Illini squad know that after Bertrand hit a jumper with 14:16 left in the first half it would be more than six minutes until they would add to their point total again.Illinois would not score again until 7:56 was left showing in the first half. By then Wisconsin had racked up a 33-10 lead.“I thought the game was clearly decided during that 20-0 run, and the difference in the game, once again, was the 2-point field goal percentage, our inability to convert those and our inability to defend those,” Groce said. “At the end of the day, that was the difference.”Wisconsin’s defense held Illinois to just 27 percent shooting (10-37) in the first half — 28 percent from two-point range — and it took just over 14 minutes before someone other than Rice or Bertrand found the scoring column for the Illini.The Badgers’ defensive effort in the first half would stifle the Illini to just 25 points, their lowest total in the first 20 minutes all season.“I thought we did what we wanted to do defensively and then they made some adjustments and they hit the glass really hard and got a lot of second-chance opportunities,” Ryan said.Illinois’ attack would wake up in the second half, scoring 45 points, but still shot below 40 percent from the field hitting 15-42 (35.7 percent) in the closing half.Struggles on the glassAs good as Wisconsin was defensively the Badgers couldn’t gain control of the glass, allowing Illinois to 25 of its 48 boards off of offensive rebounds compared to Wisconsin’s 5.“They out-physicaled us on the offensive glass,” Wisconsin sophomore Sam Dekker said. “That’s something we have to take pride in and really check guys out. It’s staple of Wisconsin basketball to be the more physical team and win those battles in the paint. When we don’t win those it’s embarrassing for us because we take a lot of pride in that.”Some of the Illini’s offensive boards came from missed layups that made for easy grabs, but it still leaves an area of concern for the Badgers in the midst the win.When a team is clicking like Wisconsin is right now, it is almost refreshing for the team to have an excuse to come back down to earth after its 25-point beating of a top-25 team.“We kind of look at it in a good way,” Dekker said of Wisconsin’s rebounding. “It’s something that we really have to preach, buckle down and get better at. That’s a point of emphasis coach made after the game. He wasn’t too happy with the way we rebounded on the defensive end. We should expect some rebounding drills coming up here in these next few days.”
Mammoth Media and Cloud9 have come together to broadcast the organisations North American League of Legends Academy team matches during the Summer Split.Cloud9 will broadcast a pre-game show before each match with highlights and interviews. The Academy Series matches will be broadcasted on the organisations Twitch channel and feature former players and staff members. Fans will also have the chance to win cash prizes by playing esports-themed trivia on Mammoth Media’s app, Arena.Jack Etienne, CEO and Co-Founder of Cloud9Jack Etienne, CEO and Co-Founder of Cloud9 commented: “We’re excited to partner with Mammoth Media for our LCS Academy broadcasts. Partnering with Mammoth gives us a new, fun way to engage directly with our fans through trivia matches on Arena.”“As we continue to extend our entertainment network we are always looking for innovative ways to get our entertainment destinations in front of new audiences – so partnering with Cloud9, a leader in esports, was the natural next step for us,” said Benoit Vatere, CEO and co-founder, Mammoth Media. “Arena’s live format and mob-based trivia challenges really lends itself to the esports world so we could not be more excited to kick off LCS Academy Summit Split with pre and post show with the Cloud9 team”.In the past, Riot has not allowed teams to broadcast official matches but has since changed its ruling. The first broadcast will coincide with the beginning of the Summer Split on Thursday, June 14 where Cloud9 will face FlyQuest Academy.Esports Insider says: This is a welcome opportunity and show of support from Riot for its Academy Series games. Not only is Cloud9 able to showcase it’s Academy team regularly, but it’s also benefiting heavily from an early partnership with Mammoth Media. Riot opening up broadcasts will in-turn open gates wide open for content from Academy teams and more ways to monetize for organizations. This surely won’t be the last media partner we see teaming up with an LCS team for Academy broadcasts.Sign up to our newsletter!
ACC: No. 2 Clemson vs. Pittsburgh (Charlotte, N.C.)8 p.m, ABCMORE: Plotting Playoff paths, from chalk to chaosBig Ten: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 21 Northwestern (Indianapolis)8 p.m., FOX | fuboTV Conference championship weekend is here, and Sporting News has you covered on how to tune in to all the action.The headliner for the weekend is the SEC championship matchup between No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Georgia, though five games this weekend are between top-25 opponents (No. 2 Clemson and No. 7 UCF plays unranked Pitt and Memphis, respectively). MORE: Watch college football live on fuboTV (7-day free trial)The biggest question heading into the weekend — assuming chalk holds — is who would make the Playoff between one-loss Oklahoma and Ohio State? It’ll be interesting to see how the Playoff committee tackles that problem.That said, here is how you can key in on all the action from the weekend (all times Eastern; all days Saturday unless otherwise noted)MAC: Northern Illinois vs. Buffalo (Detroit)7 p.m. (Friday), ESPN2Pac-12: No. 17 Utah vs. No. 10 Washington (Santa Clara, Calif.)8 p.m. (Friday), FOX | fuboTVBig 12: No. 9 Texas vs. No. 5 Oklahoma (Arlington, Texas)Noon, ABCMORE: Fixing conference title games could solidify Playoff for goodSun Belt: Louisiana at App StateNoon, ESPNC-USA: UAB at Middle Tennessee1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network | fuboTVAAC: Memphis at No. 7 UCF3:30 p.m., ABCMORE: Latest College Football Playoff rankingsNo. 4 Georgia vs. No. 1 Alabama (Atlanta)4 p.m., CBS | fuboTVMountain West: No. 25 Fresno State at No. 19 Boise State7:45 p.m., ESPN