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Turkey arrests suspected spies for UAE, probing Khashoggi link
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has arrested two intelligence operatives who confessed to spying on Arab nationals for the United Arab Emirates, and it is probing whether the arrival in Turkey of one of them was related to Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, a senior Turkish official said on Friday.
One of the two men arrived in Turkey in October 2018, days after Khashoggi was murdered inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, the official said, adding the other arrived to help his colleague with the workload.
“We are investigating whether the primary individual’s arrival in Turkey was related to the Jamal Khashoggi murder,” said the official, adding the person has been monitored for the past six months.
“It is possible that there was an attempt to collect information about Arabs, including political dissidents, living in Turkey.”
The arrests were made in Istanbul on Monday as part of a counter-intelligence investigation. Turkish officials seized an encrypted computer located in a hidden compartment at what the official told Reuters was the spy ring’s base.
The official, who requested anonymity, said statements by the detained men suggested their intelligence operation targeted political exiles and students.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2, provoking an international outcry.
The CIA and some Western countries believe the Crown Prince, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, ordered the killing, which Saudi officials deny. The Saudi public prosecutor has indicted 11 unidentified suspects, including five who could face the death penalty on charges of ordering and committing the crime.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-emirates/turkey-arrests-suspected-spies-for-uae-probing-khashoggi-link-idUSKCN1RV0S9?il=0
U.S. housing starts fall to near to two-year low; permits weak
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. homebuilding dropped to a near two-year low in March, pulled down by persistent weakness in the single-family housing segment, suggesting the housing market continued to struggle despite declining mortgage rates.
Housing starts fell 0.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.139 million units last month, the lowest level since May 2017, the Commerce Department said on Friday.
Data for February was revised down to show homebuilding tumbling to a pace of 1.142 million units instead of the previously reported 1.162 million-unit rate.
Building permits fell 1.7 percent to a rate of 1.269 million units in March, the lowest in five months. Building permits have now declined for three straight month. Permits for single-family housing dropped to a more than 1-1/2 year low in March, a bad omen for starts in the coming months.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast housing starts increasing to a pace of 1.230 million units in March.
The prolonged weakness in homebuilding likely reflects land and labor shortages, as well as expensive building materials.
A survey on Tuesday showed that though builders reported strong demand for new homes, they continued to highlight “affordability concerns stemming from a chronic shortage of construction workers and buildable lots.”
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate has dropped from a peak of about 4.94 percent in November to around 4.12 percent, according to data from mortgage finance agency Freddie Mac. Declining mortgage rates reflect a recent decision by the Federal Reserve to suspend its three-year monetary policy tightening campaign.
The housing market hit a soft patch last year, with investment in homebuilding contracting 0.3 percent, the weakest performance since 2010.
Single-family homebuilding, which accounts for the largest share of the housing market, dropped 0.4 percent to a rate of 785,000 units in March, the lowest level since September 2016.
Single-family homebuilding fell in the South and Midwest, but rose in the Northeast and South. The sharp drop in the Midwest likely reflected flooding in the region.
Permits to build single-family homes dropped 1.1 percent to a rate of 808,000 units in March, the lowest since August 2017. Single-family home building permits have now declined for four straight months.
Starts for the volatile multi-family housing segment were unchanged at a rate of 354,00 units in March. Permits for the construction of multi-family homes dropped 2.7 percent to a pace of 461,00 units last month.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy/u-s-housing-starts-fall-to-near-to-two-year-low-permits-weak-idUSKCN1RV0TI
I'll take lack of affordability and demand destruction for $1000 alex
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-17747793
POTUS did say that dept of energy would be one of the agency's he would get rid of during the 2016 campaign. But it appears to be be fake and gay.
I watched one try to mow that lawn the other day and it was pure comedy. Forgot to grip the bar to engage the blades. Stood there for 10 minute's trying to figure it out-even my dog laughed