Archive for June, 2017

Google Said to Be Facing Record EU Fine by End of August – New York Times


New York Times
Google Said to Be Facing Record EU Fine by End of August
New York Times
Margrethe Vestager, the European Union's competition chief, is in the final stages of ruling on the case, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly. Any financial penalty is expected to ...
Google Could Face Over $1.45 Billion In Fines For 'Manipulating' EU Search ResultsForbes
Record-high fine expected soon for Google in EU antitrust caseCNBC
Google Faces Record EU Antitrust FineWall Street Journal (subscription)
TheStreet.com -MarketWatch -ZDNet
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Google Said to Be Facing Record EU Fine by End of August - New York Times

Global lecturer and French economist to speak at DCCC about European Union’s impact on the US – Lexington Dispatch

Davidson County Community College will host a public lecture June 22 featuring Dr. Olivier Peyr, a business administration faculty member at Nicolas Brmontier Technical College in Bordeaux, France.

The lecture starts at 6 p.m. in Room 110 of the Mary E. Rittling Conference Center.

Peyrs talk will cover topics including the Greek crisis, Brexit, the increase of migrants, the Common European Defense Project, the rise in populism and other impacting changes in the European Union. Peyr will also offer commentary on Frances recent election and its global impact on society and culture.

Peyr, who holds a PhD in political science and international relations from the University of Toulouse 1 Capitol, has led his students in virtual video conference exchanges with DCCC students for more than a decade.

The world is now interconnected like never before. It's invaluable for our students to virtually meet people across the world who are like them in many ways, but different in others. We're honored to have him here in 'real life' this summer, said Suzanne LaVenture, director of International Education.

Peyr will lead the audience through shared connections between the U.S. and the world by focusing the similarity of issues being faced in the U.S. and abroad. He will bring to light how the European Unions current state could impact the worlds economy.

My talk could be the opportunity to introduce today and tomorrows main challenges, said Peyr.

Passport events offer cultural enrichment to DCCC students and the public through enlightening presentations that focus on the customs and perspectives of other countries and their citizens. Several events throughout the year provide students, faculty and the community the opportunity to learn more about other cultures, all within their own backyard.

The fact is we're all global citizens whether we realize it or not. What happens in the rest of the world affects us and vice-versa, LaVenture said. The more understanding we have about the impact of this interdependence, the better able we are to navigate our path in life.

To learn more, visit https://www.davidsonccc.edu/international

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Global lecturer and French economist to speak at DCCC about European Union's impact on the US - Lexington Dispatch

Britain’s department for leaving the European Union says exit talks with the EU will start Monday as planned – ABC News

Britain's department for leaving the European Union says exit talks with the EU will start Monday as planned
ABC News
Britain's department for leaving the European Union says exit talks with the EU will start Monday as planned. By The Associated Press. LONDON Jun 15, 2017, 11:27 AM ET. 0 Shares. Email. Star. 0 Shares. Email. Britain's department for leaving the ...

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Britain's department for leaving the European Union says exit talks with the EU will start Monday as planned - ABC News

Afghanistan: Pentagon says no decision yet on number of …

The Pentagon has not made a final decision about how many troops will be sent to Afghanistan to try and break the stalemate in that country's 16-year-long war, two senior defense officials told Fox News Thursday.

The officials said that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congress on multiple occasions this week that a new strategy would not be delivered until mid-July. Their statements contradict an Associated Press report that claimed almost 4,000 additional U.S. troops would go to Afghanistan and an announcement could come as soon as next week.

For the past two months, the Pentagon has been considering sending between 3,000 and 5,000 U.S. troops to help train and advise Afghan forces.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis before he testifies at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

This week, President Trump gave Mattis the authority to decide how many troops he needed in Afghanistan. In April, the president granted Mattis similar authority to decide how many U.S. forces were needed to fight ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Over the course of four separate appearances before lawmakers this week, Mattis said he wanted U.S. troops to operate alongside the Afghan Army and help them by calling in airstrikes in the hope of making an impact on the battlefield against the Taliban. Currently, the military operates in more of a planning role alongside Afghan forces.

Earlier this week, Mattis told a Senate panel the Obama administration's decision to cut the number of troops in Afghanistan and put restrictions on air power was "misguided."

"When we reduced our forces there, I believe in, what was probably in hindsight a misguided application of our forces, we restricted them from using our air support with some idea that we would wean them off the need of it," Mattis said to the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee.

The number of American airstrikes in Afghanistan have increased significantly under President Trump. April saw more bombs dropped there than in any month since 2012, according to the Air Force.

In February, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John W. Nicholson, said he needed a "few thousand" additional troops from the United States and NATO.

U.S. forces and Afghan security police are seen in Asad Khil near the site of a U.S. bombing in the Achin district of Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo)

Since then, the Pentagon has been planning for an increase and taking recommendations to the White House. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. told Congress this week that President Trump has seen some of the early plans. Officials tell Fox News that there have been a number of National Security Council meetings at the White House as different options are discussed, according to officials.

Earlier this week, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chided Mattis and Dunford for not having a strategy in Afghanistan.

Mattis responded by admitting that the U.S. "isn't winning," making him the latest senior U.S. military leader to describe the war against Islamic extremists in Afghanistan as a stalemate.

Today there are 8,400 American troops on the ground in Afghanistan, down from a high of 100,000 ground forces in August 2010. Shortly before leaving office, President Barack Obama ordered 1,500 troops withdrawn from the country after scrapping plans for a near-total withdrawal that was supposed to take place by the end of 2016.

Last weekend, three U.S. Army soldiers were shot and killed by Afghan soldiers in a reminder of the danger facing Americans there.

A farmer works on his field, on the outskirts of the village of Madakhel, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Enric Marti)

Today, the U.S. military estimates that the Afghan government only controls roughly 60 percent of the country. The Taliban is the most prominent insurgent group, but they are not the only concern. ISIS-affiliated fighters have taken hold of portions of eastern Afghanistan.

On Thursday, ISIS claimed to have captured Tora Bora, a mountain hideout in Afghanistan once used by Usama bin Laden, but the Taliban dismissed the claim, saying they were still in control of the cave complex.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @LucasFoxNews

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Afghanistan: Pentagon says no decision yet on number of ...

The Pentagon Is Reportedly Going to Send 4000 More US Troops to Afghanistan – New York Magazine

Ad will collapse in seconds CLOSE June 16, 2017 06/16/2017 1:39 pm By Adam K. Raymond Share Three of the U.S. soldiers already in Afghanistan. Photo: Ernesto Londoo/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will announce plans to send as many as 4,000 additional U.S. forces to Afghanistan next week in an attempt to help the withering Afghan military, the AP reports.

The U.S. currently has around 8,400 troops assisting the Afghan military in Afghanistan. Theyre serving alongside another 5,000 troops from NATO forces. The increase in American boots on the ground is needed to slow the progress of the Taliban, Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

The Taliban had a good year last year, and theyre trying to have a good one this year, he said. Mattis added that additional U.S. troops would provide air and artillery support to Afghan forces, who have seen 5,000 killed in 2016 alone.

Mattis has only this week gained the power to set troop levels in Afghanistan, an authority granted by President Trump on Tuesday. The move drew harsh criticism from the New York Times editorial board, which said it leaves the impression that he is cowed by the weighty responsibility of sending more Americans into battle, and is looking to put that onus on Mr. Mattis so he has somebody to blame if things go wrong.

Other critics have questioned the wisdom of sending new troops to Afghanistan without a clearly defined strategy. At Tuesdays hearing with Mattis, Senator John McCain emphasized the need for a plan. Were now six months into this administration, he said. We still havent got a strategy for Afghanistan. It makes it hard for us to support you when we dont have a strategy.

Another person whos not so sure about Mattiss plan to build up troops is the anonymous veteran who sent this depressing message to Washington Post reporter Thomas Gibbons-Neff.

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The Pentagon Is Reportedly Going to Send 4000 More US Troops to Afghanistan - New York Magazine