Daily Archives: May 30, 2017

This undated rendering provided by DarkPulse Technologies Inc. shows a proposed border wall between Mexico and the U.S. The wall proposed by the Arizona-based company would be constructed with ballistic concrete that can withstand tampering or attacks of any kind, according to founder Dennis O'Leary. "You could fire a tank round at it and it will take the impact," he told The Associated Press. AP file

Trump promised voters "a big, beautiful wall." But it might not look like a wall at all. It might look more like the 694 miles of fencing already built.

The CBP proposal requirements indicated that the wall would have to be at least 18 feet high and able to withstand significantly physical force, prevent climbing and tunneling and be aesthetically appealing on the American side.

There's some indication that fencing may indeed rule the day. Touting the funding secured to repair 40 miles of existing border fencing secured in the omnibus-spending bill Congress passed this month, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney showed images of 20-foot cyclone fencing and told reporters this kind of steel fencing might be the "wall" in the end.

"This is the wall that DHS said they wanted, sat in the Oval Office with the president, we talked about bricks and mortar, we talked about concrete, and this is what they wanted," Mulvaney said, noting that the DHS believes see-through fencing is safer for border agents. "It's also half of the cost, so we can build twice as much of it."

This is where things get messy.

Much of the nearly 2,000 mile-border is

"Are people concerned about the federal government coming in and trying to grab their land? Yes, they are." Texas Rep. Will Hurd told NBC News. The Republican congressman's district stretches 820 miles along the southern border. "Private property rights are pretty damn important to us."

The last time the federal government built up fencing along the southern border with the Secure Fence Act of 2006, eminent domain laws were used to buy up a significant amount of land, often at a discount of the land's value.

The Trump administration is revving up for a similar fight. The

"I think

As a businessman, he infamously used it to try and force an elderly widow to sell her property so he could build a parking lot for limousines. He lost the case.

That's the multi-billion-dollar question.

"Walls work, just ask Israel," the president said last week at a joint presser with the Colombian president, in his most recent public remarks about his signature promise to America. The administration is quick to note that illegal border crossings are down significantly this year.

Critics say it's a really expensive way to secure the border, which could be more cheaply done with technology, border agents and fencing.

"My goal is that when we look at border security, we do not have a one size fits all solution, we look at every mile of the border differently than we looked at the one before it," Hurd said.

Existing fencing has not, so far, stopped immigrants from crossing the border. Existing fencing was

(CORRECTION: May 30, 2017, 9:50 a.m.) An earlier version of this article misstated the cost and composition of the proposed border wall. The per-mile cost of the wall ranges from $1 million to $21.6 million for a barrier that includes fending, non-concrete barriers and concrete, not just for concrete.

Go here to see the original:

Donald Trump's Border Wall: A 'Progress' Report - NBCNews.com

BERLIN May 30 Germany will push hard in Brussels for progress to be made on a free-trade agreement between India and the European Union, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday in a speech warning of growing "protectionist tendencies" worldwide.

"It's important to us that we make progress on the German-Indian, or rather EU-Indian free trade agreement," she said at a Berlin business forum where she shared a platform with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. "We will do a major push in Brussels to ensure that these negotiations progress again."

Her remarks come after U.S. President Donald Trump repeated his criticism of Germany's trade surplus with his country, tweeting that the "MASSIVE" U.S. trade deficit with Europe's largest economy "will change".

Modi told the forum that economic collaboration between Germany and India was still "below full potential".

(Reporting By Thomas Escritt, Editing by Michelle Martin)

* Fitch on maldives' usd bonds -expected rating is in line with maldives' long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating (idr) of 'b+' with stable outlook Source text for Eikon:

NEW YORK, May 30 A U.S. rate hike is probably coming soon though the Federal Reserve may want to delay if recently soft inflation readings continue, an influential Fed governor said on Tuesday, adding she also backs shrinking a bond portfolio "before too long."

SAO PAULO, May 30 Latin American currencies seesawed on Tuesday as falling oil prices and a strong batch of U.S. economic figures fueled caution among traders. Signs of a resurgence in Libya's oil output reignited concerns over global oversupply, hammering prices of crude futures. The slump dampened demand for commodity-linked assets, with oil-heavy Colombia's peso down 0.3 percent. Investors also dialed back bets on a slow pace of U.S. interest rate hikes after U.S. cons

See more here:

Germany's Merkel calls for faster progress on EU-India trade deal - Reuters

Portugal cruised past host nation South Korea 3-1 in the last 16 of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup on Tuesday.

The Selecao were clinical early on, as goals from Bruno Xadas and Bruno Costa gave them a two-goal lead at the break. Xadas added his second midway through the second period to make the game safe, before Lee Sang-Heon snatched a consolation.

Earlier in the day, Venezuela continued their impressive form at the tournament, as they eventually overcame Japan 1-0 after extra time. Manchester City youngster Yangel Herrera netted the winner in the 108th minute.

Three more quarter-finalists will be determined on Wednesday, as Uruguay take on Saudi Arabia, England face Costa Rica and Zambia go up against Germany.

Here's a reminder of how the action panned out at the tournament on Tuesday.

Tuesday Recap

With a sizeable home crowd in attendance, Portugal would have been keen to put together a strong start and sap any buzz from the atmosphere. And they did exactly that with a brilliant display.

A fluid move gave the Selecao the lead, with Xadas applying the finishing touch. And while the host nation responded well to the early setback, Portugal pounced on the break to score for a second time, with Costa lashing home from 20 yards.

As noted by sports journalist Tom Kundert, from that point on the European side were in total control of the match:

In the second period, South Korea needed to make their possession count a little more, but they lacked the conviction needed to get back into the game. And eventually it was Xadas, outstanding throughout, who made the game safe with a brilliant individual goal.

Scouted Football was impressed with the performance of the young Portuguese:

The hosts did at least give their supporters something to cheer late on, as Lee gave the scoreline a more respectable look. Portugal, meanwhile, will face either Saudi Arabia or Uruguay in the last eight.

In the day's early fixture Venezuela had to bide their time against Japan but eventually came through late on.

The Vinotinto were the standout side in the group stages of the competition, putting together three consecutive wins. But they were frustrated by a determined opponent for long spells here.

Adalberto Penaranda, Yeferson Soteldo and Ronaldo Pena were all threatening for Venezuela early in the game, but they couldn't apply the decisive touch in front of goal. Japan did offer a threat on the counter and particularly from set pieces, with Ritsu Doan rattling the bar.

Still, neither side could find a breakthrough in normal time and after another goalless 15 minutes in extra time, penalties loomed. Herrera saved the Venezuela supporters from that torture, though, heading home a corner with 12 minutes on the clock.

Sports journalist David Cartlidge was impressed with the performance of the South Americans and particularly that of Herrera:

The cohesion the team have showcased at this tournament so far was able to see Venezuela through to a memorable win; it's the first time they've ever made the quarter-final of the competition.

Next up for them will be the winner of Thursday's tussle between New Zealand and the United States.

See more here:

U-20 World Cup 2017 Results: Portugal, Venezuela Progress to Quarter-Finals - Bleacher Report

CBS St. Louis

Pi Owner Talks Expansion, City Progress CBS St. Louis If we could get a combination of Civic Progress and St. Louis Development Corporation together to build a public-private partnership, and use the resources that those companies have and those individuals have, working alongside civic city government ...

Read more from the original source:

Pi Owner Talks Expansion, City Progress - CBS St. Louis