I GLOBAL NEWZ

Meryl Streep has won three Oscars, three Emmys and six Golden Globes during her 40-year long career on stage, screen and television. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File) Meryl Streep, the most celebrated actress of her generation, has filed an application to trademark her name. The application was filed with US Patent and Trademark Office on January 22, records show. It requests that the name Meryl Streep be trademarked for “entertainment services,” movie appearances, speaking engagements and autographs. Streep, 68, last week extended her record to 21 Academy Award nominations, this time for her role in “The Post.” She has won three Oscars, three Emmys and six Golden Globes during her 40-year long career on stage, screen and television. It is not clear why Streep would file a trademark application at this stage in her career and her attorney and publicist did not return a request for comment on Monday. Many celebrities trademark their names or catch phrases to protect

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda attends the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland January 26, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse Poland’s president says there was no institutionalised participation by Poland or its people in the Holocaust, but acknowledges that individual Poles took “wicked” actions against Jewish neighbours. President Andrzej Duda said yesterday that he would never allow Poland and Poles in general to be “vilified” though “false accusations.” Duda seemed to be reacting to anger in Israel over a bill that would prohibit public statements assigning to “the Polish nation” responsibility for crimes committed by Nazi Germany during its World War II occupation of Poland. Violations would be punishable by fines or prison terms of up to three years. In Israel, the legislation has been interpreted as an attempt to undermine scholarly research and deny facts about the Holocaust. Polish and Israeli officials are discussing the bill’s wording,

The German government plans to nationalise lorry motorway toll company Toll Collect temporarily until a new operator has been found, a transport ministry spokesman said on Monday. Toll Collect, the world’s first satellite-based truck toll system, is 45 percent-owned by German carmaker Daimler, 45 percent by Deutsche Telekom and 10 percent by Vinci unit Cofiroute. Confirming a pre-released report by business daily Handelsblatt, the transport ministry spokesman said that the federal government intends to take over the Toll Collect in September before starting the bidding process to renew the operating contract, which expires this year. “It is not intended that the government will hold the shares in the operating company permanently,” the spokesman said. Handelsblatt’s report said the reason for the planned nationalisation was unresolved legal disputes between the federal government, Toll Collect and its shareholders. There are currently two arbitration proceedings involving Toll

We can afford to do more for people who need it by doing less for people who don’t: Trudeau’s message (Photo Source: Reuters) Canada’s parliament began debate on Monday on new legislation to tighten workplace harassment rules, including those governing politicians, as allegations of sexual misconduct mounted against lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum. The bill, introduced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government in November, gained a new prominence after a federal cabinet minister and two provincial party leaders stepped down last week after being accused of inappropriate behavior. While the proposed law will govern all federal workplaces, including private businesses, the environment among political staffers in Ottawa was in focus as the #MeToo social media movement gained momentum in Canada. “It clearly is a crisis in this workplace,” Employment Minister Patty Hajdu told reporters outside the House of Commons. “We talk a lot about getting wom

Robert Lighthizer, United States Trade Representative, makes statements to the media following NAFTA round six renegotiations in Montreal, Quebec, Canada January 29, 2018. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi US Trade Rep Robert Lighthizer said Monday talks to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement are progressing very slowly. Lighthizer said the US views NAFTA as a “very important agreement” and said the sixth round of talks between Canada, the United States and Mexico, which concluded Monday, were a “step forward.” “Some real headway was made here,” Lighthizer said. “We’re committed to moving forward.’ President Donald Trump called NAFTA a job-killing “disaster” on the campaign trail and has threatened to withdraw from the 24-year-old pact if he can’t get what he wants. Lighthizer said there will be another round in Mexico in late February and said core issues are starting to be discussed. The negotiators had originally hoped to reach an agreement before Mexico’s July p

Any 5G nationalisation plan would likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars, wireless carriers said (Representational Image) The top US communications regulator, wireless companies and some lawmakers oppose an idea by members of President Donald Trump’s national security team for the government to build a 5G wireless network to counter China spying on phone calls. The Trump administration has taken a harder line with China on policies initiated by predecessor President  Barack Obama  on issues ranging from Beijing’s role in restraining North Korea to Chinese efforts to acquire U.S. strategic industries. The option of a nationalized 5G network was being discussed by Trump’s national security team, an administration official said on Sunday. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Monday that discussions were at “the very earliest stages” to ensure a “secure network,” and “absolutely no decisions” have been made. The government has blocked a string of Chinese acqui

“We hope the Indian side can put this in perspective and we stand ready to strengthen cooperation with the Indian side,” said Hua Chunying. China on Monday said it is ready to hold talks with India to resolve their differences on the contentious USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through PoK. Asked about Indian Ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale’s interview to state-run Global Times in which he had said that differences on the CPEC should not be swept under the carpet, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China is willing to hold talks with India in this regard. “I noted the relevant report. Regarding the CPEC, China has repeatedly reiterated our position. As to the differences between China and India, China stands ready to communicate and hold talks with India to seek a proper solution so that these differences will not affect our general national interests. This best serves the interests of the two countries,” she said.

Crews worked through the night to restore power, but some homes were likely to remain affected until Monday evening, United Energy, majority-owned by Hong Kong’s CK Infrastructure Holdings, said. (Representational photo) More than 10,000 homes in Australia’s second most populous state were stuck without power on Monday as a surge in demand amid scorching heat overloaded the grid, in the latest blow to the nation’s stretched power sector. The outages on distribution networks, which hit more than 50,000 homes on Sunday, came less than a year after Australia’s biggest city, Sydney, was hit by blackouts during a heatwave, and 16 months after a state-wide outage in South Australia. The latest blackouts, however, were caused by grid failures, rather than supply shortages, which had sparked a national debate over the nation’s rush to adopt renewable energy at the expense of coal-fired generation. Temperatures topped 40 degrees C (104°F) over the weekend in the state of Victoria,

Malaysia’s top court said in a landmark decision on Monday that both parents must consent to the religious conversion of a minor. (File photo) Malaysia’s top court said in a landmark decision on Monday that both parents must consent to the religious conversion of a minor, ruling unanimously in favour of a Hindu woman whose ex-husband converted their three children to Islam without telling her. The ruling ended a nine-year legal tussle for M  Indira Gandhi , whose former husband became a Muslim and converted their three children in 2009. He also snatched their daughter, then 11 months old, from the family home. She won custody of the three children and challenged their conversions in civil courts of Malaysia’s dual-court system. A lower court annulled them, but the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling, saying civil courts had no jurisdiction over Islamic conversions. The ruling was appealed to the nation’s highest court. The five-member panel in the Federal Court found th

The project is one of 18 national key research and development plans set by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2016. As a new and cutting-edge transit technology, high-speed magnetic levitation railway has attracted huge attention. (Representational Image) China has approved a technical plan to build magnetic levitation train which can run at 600 kmph, said state-run CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd, the initiator of the research project. The technical plan was reviewed by 19 academicians and experts. After queries and discussion, the reviewing team affirmed the plan and approved it unanimously on January 25, official media here reported Daturday. The project is one of 18 national key research and development plans set by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2016. As a new and cutting-edge transit technology, high-speed magnetic levitation railway has attracted huge attention. Japan’s superconducting magnetic levitation train reached a top test speed of 603 kmph, an

The killings occurred in a dancing club named “Forro do Gago” in Fortaleza city in Ceará when a group of heavily armed gunmen barged into the party and began to shoot at the people, Xinhua reported (Representational Image) At least 14 people were killed and six others injured during a shootout at a club in Brazil on Saturday, police said. The killings occurred in a dancing club named “Forro do Gago” in Fortaleza city in Ceará when a group of heavily armed gunmen barged into the party and began to shoot at the people, Xinhua reported. At least two of the injured are in critical condition. Eyewitnesses said that bullet marks could be found on the walls of the club, nearby houses and vehicles parked around. Even though it rained on Saturday, bloodstain can still be seen in front of the club. According to police, the shooting was “well planned” and the agents were searching for the suspects with a helicopter overseeing the security situations in the region. The police have star

“We call on Chinese authorities to explain the reasons and legal basis for Mr. Gui’s arrest and detention,” said State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert. (Source: Reuters/File) The US State Department said on Saturday that it was deeply concerned that a Swedish citizen and Hong Kong-based bookseller, Gui Minhai, had been detained in China and called for him to be allowed to leave the country. The Swedish government has said that Gui, who has published books on the personal lives of President Xi Jinping and other Communist Party leaders, was taken into custody last week while traveling with Swedish diplomats to seek medical treatment in Beijing. The European Union’s ambassador to China has called on the Chinese authorities to release Gui immediately, echoing demands from Stockholm. “We are deeply concerned that Swedish citizen Gui Minhai was detained,” State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. “We call on Chinese authorities to explain the reas

Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull attends a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. (AP) The Australian government announced on Monday a new strategy to boost Australia into the ranks of the top 10 defense industry exporting countries within a decade. The government will create a 3.8 billion Australian dollar (USD 3.1 billion) fund to lend to exporters that banks are reluctant to finance, Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said. Australia is the 20th largest defense exporter with most of its exports including the Bushmaster armored vehicle and the Nulka missile decoy sold to the United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand. The aim of boosting Australia into the top 10 defence exporters was “very realistic,” Pyne said “Australia has a very sophisticated defence industry, but we’ve never had a government until this one that’s been determined to drive that into exports in order to grow jobs and the economy,” Pyne told Australian Broadcasting Corp

US President Donald Trump, who has garnered a large following on social media with rambunctious postings, said he sometimes tweets from bed, though he occasionally allows others to post his words. Trump frequently uses Twitter to announce policy, assail his adversaries and to tangle with countries, including North Korea, over world affairs. The @realDonaldTrump account had 47.2 million users as of Sunday. In an interview with Britain’s ITV channel, he appeared to appreciate the wide impact of his postings in Twitter and said that he needed social media to communicate with voters in the era of what he termed fake news. “If I don’t have that form of communication I can’t defend myself,” Trump said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. “I get a lot of fake news, a lot of news that is very false or made up.” It was a crazy situation, he said, that many people in the world waited for his tweets. He usually tweets himself, sometimes from bed. When asked about whether he was lying in

Hillary Clinton (AP) Bruno Mars beat Jay-Z for the top Grammy Awards on Sunday, but the surprise star of the night was former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reading from Michael Wolff’s controversial book “Fire and Fury.” A pre-taped parody sketch saw Grammy Awards host James Corden audition celebrities, including John Legend, Cher, Cardi B and Snoop Dogg. They read excerpts from the deeply critical book about President Donald Trump’s first year in office, ostensibly as contenders for a spoken word Grammy prize. Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump, read an excerpt from the book about Trump’s eating habits. “One reason why he liked to eat at McDonald’s: Nobody knew he was coming and the food was safely pre-made,” Clinton read. Corden then praised her, saying “The Grammy is in the bag.” The president’s family and members of his administration immediately criticized the segment. His son Donald Trump Jr. tweeted: “Getting to read a #fakenews book e

A worker with the Pebble Mine project digs in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska near the village of Iliamma, Alaska. (Source: AP/File) In a surprise move, the US Environmental Protection Agency reversed itself on Friday and halted the approval process for the proposed Pebble Mine copper and gold mine project in southwest Alaska’s region. “It is my judgment at this time that any mining projects in the region likely pose a risk to the abundant natural resources that exist there,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement. President Donald Trump has championed increased domestic mining and the EPA’s decision to halt the Pebble Mine’s approval process comes as a surprise. “Until we know the full extent of that risk, those natural resources and world-class fisheries deserve the utmost protection,” Pruitt said. The Obama administration blocked the proposed mine in 2014 over environmental concerns. Last year, Pruitt reversed that decision, allowing the Canadian company b

Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. (Source: Reuters) Lawyers for Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday appealed a decision to seize the former president’s passport, on the heels of an appeals court ruling upholding his corruption conviction. The seizure was approved on Thursday, a day after appellate court judges voted to uphold Lula’s convictions for taking a bribe and money laundering, in a major blow to the popular politician’s plans to run again for the presidency this year. Lula was planning to travel to an African Union conference in Ethiopia. The lawyers claimed the passport seizure violated his constitutional right to freedom of movement.