The Lounge Latest Topics

Bit of Nostalgia.

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 10:17:41 +0000

Seeing this is the lounge, let's see how good your memory's are. Which sites from the past do you wish were still operating??

1 Feed the Net

2 Bitsoup

3 SCT

4 CM8 ( Still active but locked ) Accounts can only be transfered to family member.

5 RevTT. Still active

6 SceneAccess

What phone do you have?

Sun, 21 Sep 2014 09:56:07 +0000

i have got iPhone 5

Add Rep and Leave a feedback

Reputation is the green button in the down right corner on my post

Don't forget to press the thanks button

What is your best private tracker?

Tue, 12 Nov 2013 02:43:11 +0000

For me:

for scene releases: GFT (for the ratioless), alternative SCC

for music: the waffles

for movies: PTP

for TV show: BTN

for French stuff: GKS

and what about you? What are the best/favorites private trackers?

Vince

Rate Username Above you.

Thu, 07 Nov 2013 10:25:36 +0000

Rate the username of person posted above you.

Rating Should be from 0 to 10 , And if possible give a reason why you ranked it X

What is Your Favorite Book?

Thu, 06 Feb 2014 07:51:11 +0000

I would like to ask all of IS as to what is their favorite book that they have read? I myself am not too sure of the answer to this question, but when I'm done reading this group of books, I can tell all of you what it is. please feel free to share and give a reason why. Maybe even give a recommendation.

Who is your favourite Super Hero?

Mon, 21 Oct 2013 18:12:51 +0000

For me is:Batman.

Self Hosting?

Sat, 29 Jul 2023 11:59:52 +0000

Do you guys self host stuff? which device do you use? Raspberry Pi or old PC?

Cute Names to Call Your Girlfriend

Tue, 15 Sep 2015 05:47:27 +0000

Most of us have a nickname for a loved one. These nicknames symbolize the love and the affection that we have for someone close. Usually, nicknames are derived from a person’s real name, however, if it’s your girlfriend, you might want to go with something more romantic and sensual.

For instance, you can call your girlfriend sunshine because she lightens up your life or call her peach because she is delightful. While selecting the cute names to call your girlfriend, keep the tips in mind, or your gesture of love could be misread. For each of the names that we have listed, a brief description has been added so you can choose a nickname for girlfriend according to their personality or something that you think best describes them.

List of Cute Names to Call Your Girlfriend

Doll- If she is as perfect as a doll in your eyes.
Queen- If she is the queen of your heart.
Juliet- If she is the heroine to your tale.
Daisy- If she is delicate like a flower.
Happiness- If she is the reason of your happiness.
Kitten- If she is adorable like a kitten.
Boo- If you find her sexy.
Button- If she is cute as a button.
Angel- If you believe she is your guardian angel.
Magic- If she makes your life magical.
Pink- If she is girly.
Donut- For someone who is sweet and round.
Cuddles- As you love to cuddle with her.
Summer- As she brings light and brightness to your life.
Bub- For someone who is too adorable.
Gorgeous- This one is self-explanatory.
Lover-Girl – As she is the one you truly love.
Wifey- Someone you plan to make your future wife.
Honey- A classic rolls on the tongue.
Cinderella- As she is a princess in your eyes.
Hot-stuff- If she is irresistible.
Pretty lady- If she is gentle and delicate.
Sunshine- If she lights up your day.
Sweet-heart- If she is sweet and sincere.
Precious- If you consider her too valuable to lose.
Hot Mama – If you find her curvy and sexy.
Bright eyes- If her eyes are her best feature.
Cookie- If she is sweet as a cookie.
Love- If you feel nothing but love when you see her.
My All- If she means everything to you.
Lucky charm- If you believe that she brings you good luck.
Cutie-pie- If you find her cute and sweet.
Darling- As she is the dearest.
Dream-girl- As she is the girl of your dreams.
Lamb- If she is as adorable as a sweet little lamb.
Cupcake- If she is sweet and yummy.
Spring- If she adds color to your life.
Lemon- If she adds something new and exciting to your life.
Pooh- If she is as loveable as Winnie the Pooh.
Rose- If she is as precious as a rose.
Hop- If she is fun-loving.
Joy- If she brings you joy.
Melody- If her voice is as melodious as a melody.
Sprinkles- She is colorful, fun and happy.
Cherry- She completes your life.
Babe- If she is sexy.
Snuggly- For someone you love to snuggle with.
Pumpkin- As she is bright and sweet.
Dove- As she is fragile and pure.
Peach- If you consider her cute and delightful.

Tips for choosing cute names to call your girlfriend

Make sure that your girlfriend approves of the nickname that you keep for her and is not irked by it.
You can derive a cute nickname for her from her real name, for example Sandra can be called Sandy.
Make sure that you give her a nickname in accordance to the time you have spent together, for example, you should not call her wifey if your relationship is just two months old.
Avoid calling her with a sexual nickname in public such as Hot stuff.
Avoid picking names from TV shows and books. Giving her a nickname from a TV show will not make her feel special.

Rare and interesting sites

Tue, 16 Sep 2014 16:00:58 +0000

If you find something interesting or even unique on the net -> share it with your friends here!

Best Ebook tracker?

Sun, 18 May 2014 00:48:06 +0000

I used to get a lot of professional books for a quick look off sites that are now sadly all down. Any good closed community trackers out there? Thanks in advance.

What's in your black Friday shopping cart?

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 16:31:53 +0000

Has covid diminished to drive to fill a shopping cart with a Black Friday goodie?

What are you purchasing.

For me is it Bluetooth in-ear headphones. Mine just decided to go to electronic heaven a few days ago.

Bookbeats

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 12:36:22 +0000

I am trying to use the bookbeats.com 2 week free trial from the US, but cannot create an account due to jurisdiction? Even if I set my VPN to the same country (I am trying to access Ireland as there are books in that territory I am looking for), but my CC is US and it will not allow me to complete the reg. Any thoughts on how to get around this?

thanks

In White House launch, Democratic Governor Bullock vows to reform campaign finance

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:49:56 +0000

Democratic Governor Steve Bullock of Montana jumped into the 2020 presidential race on Tuesday, touting his ability to work with Republicans and promising to take on campaign finance reform on his first day in office.

Bullock, 53, won re-election in conservative Montana in 2016, making him the only candidate of the more than 20 major Democratic presidential contenders to win statewide election in a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2016. Trump won Montana by 20 percentage points.

“There’s only one person in the field that’s actually won in a state that Donald Trump won, and there’s only one that’s gotten progressive things done in governing a state that’s controlled by Republicans,” Bullock said in an interview on Tuesday after announcing his bid.

Wearing jeans and cowboy boots at a campaign office so new there were no signs outside, Bullock called for an end to so-called dark money political contributions and touted the state’s expansion of Medicaid.

“I think we can both defeat Donald Trump and get this country working again,” he said.

Bullock has barely registered in opinion polls and will face challenges fundraising against higher-profile party rivals such as former Vice President Joe Biden and Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Bullock presents himself as a potential unifier in a party torn between those who prefer a pragmatist who can appeal to moderates and independents, and those who want a fresh face who can energize the party’s increasingly diverse and left-leaning voters.

He has made campaign finance reform a cornerstone of his agenda as governor. Among various actions, he signed an executive order requiring many state government contractors to report political donations.

At his campaign launch in a high school science classroom in the state capital of Helena, Bullock said he would sign a similar executive order on his first day as president.

“Our politics are dominated by those who can write the biggest checks and drown out people’s voices,” he said.

BROAD APPEAL

To set himself apart in a crowded field, Bullock points to his successes as governor in Montana, where Republicans control the state legislature, and his ability to forge compromises on bills to expand Medicaid, bolster pay equity for women and protect public lands.

Charismatic and telegenic, he talks about Democratic issues without using buzzwords that might inflame Republicans. In discussing healthcare, he says Trump has worked to “destabilize” care for millions, but does not mention the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.

He favors a public option under which consumers could pay into the federal Medicare or Medicaid healthcare programs, but has not jumped on the Medicare-for-All bandwagon.

A gun owner and hunter, Bullock said he supported universal background checks for purchasers of firearms and so-called red flag laws to allow family members to ask a judge to temporarily remove firearms from people in danger of harming themselves or others.

Last week, he vetoed a bill to allow public school employees to become armed marshals, a measure some gun rights groups say would allow armed adults to fight off mass shooters at schools.

The son of a single mother, Bullock worked his way through college and took out loans to finish law school. He served as Montana’s attorney general before being elected to his first term as governor in 2012.

When he won re-election in 2016, he captured 13 counties in Montana, more than twice the number Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton carried.

Bullock heads next to Iowa. He has traveled frequently to early voting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire in the last year to lay the groundwork for a campaign, but he had promised to wait until Montana’s legislative session ended to make his plans for the White House known. The Montana legislature adjourned in late April.

U.S. lawmakers lament: 'All of us are in the dark over here' on Iran

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:49:08 +0000

Members of the U.S. Congress complained on Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s administration has not shared enough information with them as tensions flared with Iran, with even some Republicans saying they have been left in the dark.

Relations between Washington and Tehran have become more fraught following Trump’s decision this month to try to cut Iran’s oil exports to zero and beef up the U.S. military presence in the Gulf in response to what he said were Iranian threats.

Lawmakers, including some of Trump’s fellow Republicans, said they would like classified briefings on those threats and the administration’s decisions. During previous administrations, Congress has been regularly briefed about major national security matters.

Some Democrats said public hearings with senior administration officials also would be appropriate.

Separately on Tuesday, Trump denied a New York Times report that U.S. officials were discussing a military plan to send up to 120,000 troops to the Middle East to counter any attack or nuclear weapons acceleration by Iran.

“I think all of us are in the dark over here,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters outside the Senate. Asked if he thought lawmakers would be briefed on the situation, he said, “I hope so.”

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, has requested a briefing for House members, but an aide said the administration had not yet agreed.

Senate aides said no briefing had yet been scheduled for the full Republican-controlled Senate, despite appeals from Democrats.

“If Iran is responsible for targeted attacks on our service members stationed around the region or any of our national security assets, we should of course respond appropriately and in a way that deters and prevents further assaults,” said Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“But it is hard to justify the administration’s actions thus far since they insist on stonewalling Congress from receiving any specifics about what these increased threats actually are and our strategy to confront them.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A few congressional committees - including the Senate and House intelligence and the Senate Armed Services panel - said they had arranged briefings for staff or members later this week or had already had one, committee aides said.

U.S. warns on possible 'imminent threats' to U.S. forces in Iraq

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:48:31 +0000

The U.S. military on Tuesday reaffirmed its concerns about possible imminent threats from Iranian-backed forces to its troops in Iraq, who were now at a high level of alert.

Earlier in the day, a senior British commander in the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State remnants in Iraq and Syria said there had been no increase in the threat from Iran-backed militia.

British Major General Chris Ghika appeared to contradict increasingly heated warnings from Washington, where officials say they see a growing threat from Iran.

Iran says the U.S. is waging “psychological warfare” and a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander has said Iran would retaliate against any aggressive U.S. moves. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday Tehran does not seek war with the United States despite mounting tensions over U.S. sanctions, Iranian nuclear capabilities and its missile program.

The U.S. military’s Central Command offered a clarifying statement after the remarks by Ghika, the coalition’s deputy commander for strategy and information.

“Recent comments from (the coalition’s) Deputy Commander run counter to the identified credible threats available to intelligence from U.S. and allies regarding Iranian backed forces in the region,” said Navy Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman at the U.S. military’s Central Command.

Urban said the coalition, which also operates in Syria, had increased its “force posture level” - terminology that can often refer to the alert levels meant to safeguard troops.

“(Operation Inherent Resolve) is now at a high level of alert as we continue to closely monitor credible and possibly imminent threats to U.S. forces in Iraq,” Urban said, referring to the coalition’s mission against Islamic State fighters.

Ghika was initially unequivocal when he asserted that there was no new threat from Iran.

“No, there has been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria. We are aware of their presence clearly and we monitor them along with a whole range of others because that is the environment we are in,” Ghika said initially.

He later declined to reaffirm that statement, when pressed by reporters.

The United States has sent an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and Patriot missiles to the Middle East in a show of force against what U.S. officials have said is a threat to U.S. troops and interests in the region.

Brazil sees Venezuelan military deciding Maduro's fate: security aide

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:47:51 +0000

Venezuela’s armed forces will either depose President Nicolas Maduro and lead a transition to democratic rule or face divisions that risk a civil war, the Brazilian government’s top security adviser said on Tuesday.

Retired General Augusto Heleno, national security adviser to President Jair Bolsonaro, said the situation in Venezuela was unpredictable after opposition leader Juan Guaido unsuccessfully called on the military to change sides last month.

Only a handful of soldiers headed Guaido’s call to back the opposition on April 30 and since then Maduro’s government has launched a crackdown on opposition legislators allegedly linked to the attempt.

Despite U.S. sanctions, the upper echelons of Venezuela’s military have largely ignored entreaties from the opposition and Washington to turn against Maduro and just over 1,000 troops have defected, mostly to Colombia and Brazil.

“The future of Venezuela will be decided by the armed forces: either they stay in power with the same government or they remove Maduro,” Heleno said in an interview.

“We don’t know how the military will act. Either they will oust Maduro, take power and set in motion a return to democracy, or they could split between Guaido and Maduro, which is the riskier scenario that could set off a civil war,” he said.

Venezuela’s information ministry - which handles media enquiries for the government - did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Heleno’s remarks.

Bolsonaro’s right-wing government has joined more than 50 other nations in recognizing Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela and backed an opposition initiative to deliver U.S. humanitarian aid to the neighboring country in February.

Maduro shut the border with Brazil to block the aid, but reopened it on Friday, allowing a flow of Venezuelans crossing in search of food, medicine or an escape from the economic and political turmoil in their homeland.

Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has echoed U.S. President Donald Trump’s hard-line view on the need for change in Venezuela, including the possible use of troops.

However, Brazil’s military as well as Vice President Hamilton Mourao - a former general - have ruled out any intervention in Venezuela.

Not even the U.S. government knows which way things will turn out in Venezuela but the United States is trying to avoid a military invasion, according to Heleno.

“They just don’t want Venezuela becoming another Cuba. It’s a nightmare for them,” he said.

“The Americans are trying to deal with the situation peacefully, diplomatically, without taking military action, even though they have the potential to do so,” he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier this month in a television interview that the United States was prepared to take military action to stem the ongoing turmoil in Venezuela, but added that Washington would prefer a peaceful transition of power.

Maduro says that the U.S. government, supported by regional allies in Latin America, wants to forcibly oust him from office in order to exploit Venezuela’s oil wealth.

Pakistan opponents of death row Christian's blasphemy acquittal get bail

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:46:59 +0000

A Pakistani court on Tuesday granted bail to the leader of an ultra-right Islamist group arrested last year after his supporters shut down cities and threatened judges following the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy.

The leader of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) party, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, and his deputy, Pir Afzal Qadri, were arrested last year and charged with inciting terrorism and sedition after protesting against the acquittal of Asia Bibi who had spent eight years on death row on blasphemy charges.

“Today, the Lahore High Court has granted bail to Rizvi and Qadri in the cases of terrorism, sedition and inciting for violence,” TLP lawyer Muhammad Arif Awan said.

Bibi left for Canada last week after living at an undisclosed location inside Pakistan since her acquittal. Hardline Islamists in Pakistan had rallied against her being allowed to leave and called for her to be killed.

Rizvi’s November arrest led to clashes between police and his supporters in the eastern city of Lahore, wounding five people in violence authorities say was instigated by the TLP leader after he called on his faithful to take to the streets if he was arrested.

The two men are due to be released on Wednesday.

TLP leaders had threatened the Supreme Court judges who acquitted Bibi, urging their cooks and servants to kill them, and called for the overthrow of the army chief, an unthinkable comment in Pakistan where the military is rarely criticized in public and the army normally does not tolerate such dissent.

The TLP, whose main focus is protecting Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy laws, was founded out of a movement supporting a bodyguard who assassinated Punjab provincial governor Salman Taseer for advocating for Bibi in 2011.

Blasphemy is a deeply emotive issue in Pakistan’s staunchly religious society, and officials have been unnerved by how much support Rizvi’s TLP has garnered across the country in the two years since the group entered mainstream politics.

NBA showdown starring a Turk won't be on Turkish TV

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:46:17 +0000

Turkish basketball player Enes Kanter’s Portland Trail Blazers reached the NBA’s Western Conference finals, which start on Tuesday, but for the first time the series will not be widely televised in Turkey, where he is accused of having terrorist links.

Kanter denies any terrorist links. He has been an outspoken critic of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and describes himself as a close ally of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for a failed coup in 2016. Gulen has denied involvement.

S Sport, the main TV broadcaster of National Basketball Association (NBA) games in Turkey, will not show the conference final between the Blazers and defending champion Golden State Warriors, the company and two of its commentators confirmed on Tuesday.

Turkey’s broadcasters have ignored Kanter’s games since he was indicted last year by a Turkish court. That includes Sunday, when he scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a four-point Blazers victory over the Denver Nuggets.

The victory sent Portland to the best-of-seven-games conference final, one step from the league final, which would also be banned if Kanter is playing. The full NBA playoffs have been televised in Turkey since broadcasts began in the 1990s.

“I can say clearly that we will not be broadcasting the Warriors-Blazers series,” S Sport commentator Omer Sarac said. “Furthermore, if Portland makes it to the finals, (that) will not be broadcast either,” he said.

Fans in Turkey can still see the games through the paid NBA TV cable option and an online service.

An executive at S Sport, which is widely available on Turkish cable, characterized this as an agreement with NBA TV and confirmed it would only broadcast the eastern conference final between the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks.

The NBA did not immediately comment on whether it would reconsider its contract with S Sport given the partial blackout, which comes as it seeks to expand business beyond North America.

POPULAR SPORT

Basketball’s popularity is second only to soccer among Turkey’s 82 million people.

“It is mind-blowing that a conference final will not be broadcast in Turkey,” said Mete Aktas, a well-known Turkish NBA commentator and former chief editor of NBA Turkey magazine.

In a tweet he later deleted, another S Sport commentator, Orkun Colakoglu, said on Tuesday the games on NBA TV would not have Turkish commentary, and added he was hurt that he would not be able to present the games.

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) backed Kanter this month after the league’s official Turkish Twitter account removed his statistics following an earlier win over the Nuggets.

“The NBPA fully supports our players using their platforms to stand up for their beliefs and the principles they support. We stand with Enes,” the NBPA said in a statement.

In response, the NBA scrapped its contract with the local vendor running the Turkish Twitter account.

Kanter posted a Mother’s Day video on Twitter and asked fans to help it reach his mother, since the Turkish government blocks his social media accounts.

Kanter’s family cannot leave Turkey after their passports were revoked over Kanter’s purported ties to Gulen.

“We have a very important game today. I know that you can’t even watch my games, but please keep me and my teammates, my coaches in your prayers,” Kanter said. “Just be proud of your son because your son is sacrificing everything to stand tall for human rights, democracy and freedom.”

Alabama Senate bans nearly all abortions, including rape cases

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:45:33 +0000

Alabama’s state Senate passed a bill on Tuesday to outlaw nearly all abortions, creating exceptions only to protect the mother’s health, as part of a multistate effort to have the U.S. Supreme Court reconsider a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.

The country’s strictest abortion bill was previously approved by the Alabama House of Representatives and will now go to Republican Governor Kay Ivey, who has withheld comment on whether she would sign but is generally a strong opponent of abortion.

The law, which passed 25-6, would take effect six months after being signed by the governor, but is certain to face legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups which have vowed to sue.

Legislation to restrict abortion rights has been introduced this year in 16 states, four of whose governors have signed bills banning abortion if an embryonic heartbeat can be detected.

The Alabama bill goes further, banning abortions at any time. Those performing abortions would be committing a felony, punishable by 10 to 99 years in prison, although a woman who receives an abortion would not be held criminally liable.

The Republican-controlled Alabama Senate also defeated a Democratic amendment that would have allowed legal abortions for women and girls impregnated by rape and incest.

Anti-abortion advocates know any laws they pass are certain to be challenged, and courts this year have blocked a restrictive Kentucky law and another in Iowa passed last year.

But supporters of the Alabama ban said the right to life of the unborn child transcends other rights, an idea they would like tested.

Republican Senator Clyde Chambliss, arguing in favor of the Alabama bill, said the whole point was “so that we can go directly to the Supreme Court to challenge Roe versus Wade.”

The high court, now with a majority of conservative justices after Republican President Donald Trump appointed two, could possibly overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision establishing a woman’s right to an abortion.

Just this year, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio have outlawed abortion after a doctor can detect an embryonic heartbeat.

Opponents call the “heartbeat” legislation a virtual ban because embryonic cardiac activity can be detected as early as six weeks, before a woman may be aware she is pregnant.

Democratic state Senator Linda Coleman-Madison called the Republicans hypocritical for advocating small government that ought to stay out of private matters but “now you want in my womb; I want you out.”

All 27 Republican senators are men.

The group Physicians for Reproductive Health said the near total ban on abortions would have a disastrous effect on healthcare.

“Physicians will be unwilling to help patients in need, even when continuing pregnancy is detrimental to a patient’s health, or potentially fatal, out of fear of being scrutinized by the criminal justice system,” Dr. Yashica Robinson, a board member and ob/gyn, said in a statement.

The National Organization for Women (NOW) denounced the ban as unconstitutional.

“This is a transparent effort to drum up political support for anti-abortion candidates in upcoming elections and serves as a direct threat to women’s health, autonomy and pursuit of happiness,” NOW said in a statement.

Actress and activist Alyssa Milano has called for a sex strike under the social media hashtag #SexStrike in response to the campaigns against abortion rights, urging women to refuse sex with men “until we get bodily autonomy back.”

French ride-hailing app Kapten to launch in London, take on Uber

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:44:42 +0000

French ride-hailing app Kapten, formerly called “Chauffeur Prive”, has won approval from Transport for London to launch its services in the British capital and take on the likes of Uber as well as the city’s historic black cabs.

Kapten, whose majority shareholder is German car company Daimler, said on Thursday that it hoped to have 1.5 million users in London in two years’ time.

“There has been one dominant, overconfident ride-hailing player in the field and it’s time to shake things up. We believe London’s private-hire drivers, commuters and residents deserve better,” Kapten general manager Mariusz Zabrocki said.

Germany searches homes, asset managers in nationwide tax evasion raid

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:43:50 +0000

Frankfurt public prosecutors said they led a nationwide raid on eight homes and six asset managers on Wednesday as part of an investigation into wealthy individuals suspected of tax evasion.

The action, which involved around 110 investigators, was a follow-up on a police raid last November of Deutsche Bank over money laundering allegations linked to the “Panama Papers”.

Frankfurt prosecutors said they could refrain from searching 14 banks and four tax advisors after they voluntarily handed over evidence.

Authorities seized extensive documents, digital data, devices and a handgun for which one of the accused had no permission to possess. Raids lasted until around 7 p.m., a spokesman said.

The eight people in the crosshairs of the authorities are said to have founded companies in tax havens with the help of a former subsidiary of Deutsche Bank in the British Virgin Islands to hide capital gains from the German tax authorities and to evade taxes.

The investigations are not directed at Deutsche Bank, but at private individuals, Deutsche Bank said in a statement on Wednesday. The bank was cooperating, and its offices were not searched, the lender added.

Wednesday’s raid enlisted police and tax authorities in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Duesseldorf.

The asset management companies involved are based in Hamburg, while the tax advisers are located in Hamburg, Munich and elsewhere.

Prosecutors did not name the businesses and individuals involved.

U.S. believes Iran encouraged tanker attacks: U.S. sources

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:42:51 +0000

U.S. officials believe Iran encouraged Houthi militants or Iraq-based Shi’ite militias to carry out Sunday’s attacks on four tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, two U.S. government sources said on Wednesday. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity and who are familiar with U.S. national security assessments, said they viewed the attacks as a serious provocation by Iran which posed a significant threat to shipping.

Iran rejects the allegation of Iranian involvement and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that “extremist individuals” in the U.S. government were pursuing dangerous policies. No one has claimed responsibility for the tanker attacks.

One source said U.S. government experts believe Iran gave its “blessing” to the operations, which hit two Saudi crude oil tankers, a UAE-flagged fuel bunker barge and a Norwegian-registered oil products tanker near Fujairah, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs just outside the Strait of Hormuz.

This source said the United States believes the Iranian role has been one of actively encouraging militants to undertake such actions and went beyond simply dropping hints. However, the source indicated the United States does not now have evidence that Iranian personnel played any direct operational role.

A fifth of the oil consumed in the world passes through the Strait of Hormuz en route from Gulf crude producers to much of the globe.

A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis for four years in Yemen to try to restore the internationally recognized government in a conflict widely seen as a Saudi-Iran proxy war.

The attacks occurred against a background of tensions between the United States and Iran over Iranian nuclear capabilities, its missile program and its support for proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Washington ordered the departure of non-emergency American employees from its diplomatic missions in Iraq on Wednesday in another apparent show of concern about what it describes as threats from Iran.

On Tuesday, a U.S. official had said U.S. national security agencies believed proxies sympathetic to or working for Iran may have attacked four tankers rather than Iranian forces themselves.

While that official had said perpetrators might include Houthi rebels or Iraq-based Shi’ite militias, the official said Washington did not have hard evidence on who struck the vessels and did not go so far as to say Iran had encouraged them to act.

Australia's drought wilts support for government in rural heartlands

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:41:55 +0000

A conservative stronghold for a century, Australia’s hinterland is now cracking like the drought-parched earth, voters say, with once-safe districts in jeopardy ahead of Saturday’s election.

Driven by anger on issues from climate change to water allocation, the splintering presents a problem for the governing conservative coalition that normally considers itself secure in rural areas but is trailing in national opinion polls.

In Mildura, a city of 30,000 people on the edge of the outback and part of the safest of 16 electorates held by the coalition’s junior partner, the farmer-based National Party, nobody can recall it ever needing to campaign so hard.

“If you just look at the distribution of posters, they’re up everywhere,” Stefano de Pieri, a politician-turned-chef who has run a restaurant there for almost 30 years,said from his kitchen by a bend in the Murray River.

Mildura was one of five constituencies to spurn the Nationals at state polls in November and March, its disillusionment stoked by a deepening drought and a feeling the 99-year-old party of “the bush” was taking voters for granted.

“There is a sense of Mildura wanting to go through a political renewal,” de Pieri added, a contrast from previous years, when the Nationals were seen as sure-fire winners.

In the agricultural heartland beyond, the mood is similar.

“Everyone I’ve talked to is not going to vote National Party,” said Leonard Vallance, the livestock president of the Victorian Farmers’ Federation.

“They need a good shake and I think they’ll get it,” Vallance said by telephone from his farm south of Mildura where he grows wheat and barley.

“I will be lodging a protest vote. It definitely will not be Liberal Party or National Party or Labor Party.”

INDEPENDENTS’ DAY

Seat-by-seat polling is tricky in vast and varied electorates sprawling over cropland, grazing runs, orchards and family farms.

But nationwide surveys put the opposition Labor Party ahead, and bookmakers suggest contests are tight in Mallee, which takes in Mildura, and in similar seats nearby, are tight.

The coalition holds 73 of the 151 seats in Australia’s lower house, and Labor 69, with 76 needed to govern.

Betting markets suggest the Nationals will retain Mallee with a reduced margin but the coalition could lose the neighboring electorate of Farrer for the first time since it was established in 1949.

Few independent candidates are likely to back the Labor Party into power because social conservatism runs deep in their constituencies, but they have said the Nationals’ policies on mining, climate change and water are inadequate.

Party leader Michael McCormack said contests could be hard-fought when the incumbent was stepping down, as in Mallee, where the MP resigned after a sex scandal.

“Nationals never take for granted the voters of the Mallee,” he said in comments emailed, adding that the party was responding to voter concerns with steps such as a re-examination of the region’s water allocation plan.

“The Nationals’...grassroots structure ensures we can allocate resources where needed to run seat-by-seat campaigns.”

But spending to shore up safe districts saps funds for other contests in an election where the government must win additional seats to keep power.

“Even if they don’t lose the seat they’ve lost resources elsewhere, which might contribute to a loss elsewhere, so it is very significant,” said Dominic O’Sullivan, a political science professor at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, the capital.

“It also shows the Nationals are perhaps not as well in touch with their communities as they once were,” he said.

The party has struggled in recent years to parlay its status in the ruling coalition to win benefits for farmers, he added.

DRIEST CONDITIONS

With swathes of the countryside gripped by the driest conditions in 100 years, voters feel they need a strong voice more than ever.

After Australia’s hottest summer on record, the drying-up of the Darling River, which winds through 1,500 km (900 miles) of outback, over grazing country and irrigating crops from cotton to grapes, has stirred discontent.

Many feel National Party support for a water allocation plan that drained reservoirs upriver in flood years has worsened the drought, prompting protests.

“People here deal with water. Water is their livelihood,” said Lance Tumes, who runs a hardware store and petrol station on the banks of the Darling where it meets the Murray River just outside Mildura.

“I think the Nationals have just treated them like mugs, and I think they’ve had enough,” he said.

Weapons tests, stalled talks complicate South Korea's push for food aid to North

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:41:01 +0000

Impoverished North Korea is suffering its worst drought in decades and food supplies are reportedly running low, but South Korea’s push to provide aid is bogged down in the growing tension marked by missile tests and sanctions crackdowns.

South Korea is seeking to send food directly to the North while scaling up donations to international agencies including the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP), two sources familiar with the matter said.

If it comes off, it would mark the South’s first bilateral food aid since 2010, when it delivered 5,000 tons of rice, Unification Ministry data shows.

The WFP says more than 10 million North Koreans are in urgent need after crop output plunged to a decade low last year. On Monday, the Red Cross said this year’s early drought is threatening the summer harvest, adding to the crisis.

A devastating famine in the 1990s, exacerbated by drought, killed as many as a million North Koreans, with many resorting to eating tree bark and grass.

The North’s official KCNA news agency on Wednesday said this year’s rainfall so far was the lowest since 1982, while the Rodong Sinmun newspaper called for staging “war against the nature”, mobilising all available water pumps and irrigation equipment.

But tension again has mounted since a second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, aimed at bringing about the denuclearisation of the North, broke down in Hanoi in February.

The North has fired two missiles and multiple projectiles in recent weeks, in what South Korean President Moon Jae-in called a calibrated protest against Washington.

Moon said Trump supported his aid plan, but after promising to ease hurdles for humanitarian aid earlier this year, U.S. officials remain half-hearted, especially in light of the recent weapons tests, blaming the North Korean regime for the food shortages.

Moon’s administration, whose 2017 push for $8 million aid to U.N. agencies fell apart amid flaring tensions, is adamant about implementing its latest commitment, but it’s unclear when and how that plan will materialise, according to the sources who spoke on anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.

“They’ll try their best to make it happen, but nothing has been decided. There is a lot more to consider than two years ago,” one of the sources said.

‘SENSE OF CRISIS’

The source said there was a “sense of crisis” brewing within the administration ahead of a key parliamentary election next year amid the stalled nuclear talks and lacklustre progress in inter-Korean initiatives.

The dramatic detente between the two Koreas has propped up Moon’s approval ratings, which were hit by a stagnating economy and jobs crunch and then fell to their lowest levels after the Hanoi summit.

Moon said the aid would not only help needy North Koreans but also reduce his government’s excessive rice stockpile and break the nuclear standoff between Pyongyang and Washington.

About 45 percent of South Koreans support humanitarian aid to the North, according to a study released on Monday by the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification.

But the North’s Maeri propaganda website brushed off the South’s aid plan as “empty words” and “far-fetched mockery”.

Early this year, South Korea offered to provide flu medication, but its delivery was delayed amid consultations with the United States and the North eventually refused to take it.

Rice has also historically been a sensitive item, along with cement and fertilisers, due to concerns that Pyongyang may divert any outside handouts to bankroll its weapons programmes.

“The situation is extremely sensitive,” another source said. “If the two-track approach proves unfeasible, we would just have to go through the international organisations.”

Some observers, including Lee Hye-hoon, head of the parliamentary intelligence committee, said the situation may not be as tough as aid groups say.

Data compiled by Daily NK, a defector-run website, showed rice prices have dropped about 15% since November, suggesting the shortages may not be as bad as some people think.

But Seoul’s Unification Ministry said it sees data from the WFP and other U.N. agencies as more “official and objective.”

“It’s difficult to know just how bad the situation really is,” said Peter Ward, a scholar who researches North Korea’s economy, citing the lack of credible information.

“It doesn’t look like we are headed for another famine, but the food situation definitely appears to have deteriorated.”

Death toll among soldiers in Niger ambush rises to 28: army

Thu, 16 May 2019 20:39:49 +0000

The death toll from an ambush on Nigerien troops near the Mali border has risen to 28, an army spokesman said on Thursday, a major setback for military operations trying to restore order in a region plagued by jihadist groups and allied criminal gangs.

Tuesday’s ambush occurred in a region near the town of Tongo Tongo, where fighters from an Islamic State affiliate killed four U.S. special forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush in October 2017.

The spokesman did not say who was behind the attack, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Despite years of heavy deployments of French, U.S. and U.N. forces, Africa’s Sahel region remains a tinderbox of Islamist fighters, ethnic militias and criminal smuggling rackets.

The border areas where Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali meet are especially dangerous and violence is worsening across the region. Gunmen suspected to be Islamists killed at least 10 in apparently sectarian attacks on churches in neighbouring Burkina Faso this week.