An artists&#39; collective took credit for exposing Donald Trump to unflattering scrutiny on Thursday, saying it was responsible for a life-sized nude statue of the Republican presidential candidate that turned up in a New York City park. 
 
Copies of the orange-tinted likeness - featuring a massive belly, small fingers and missing some genital parts - were simultaneously unveiled in downtown Manhattan&#39;s Union Square Park and public places in four other US cities. 
 
The collective titled the work &quot;The Emperor Has No Balls.&quot; 
 
In New York, the unauthorised installation appeared to surprise passers-by - prompting stares, giggles and shrugs of bemusement from park visitors. 
 
Ina Cope, a 58-year-old retiree from the Bronx borough of New York, said she was not expecting to see the Trump statue when she got off the subway to meet a friend for lunch. 
 
&quot;It was crazy: I was coming off the train, minding my own business, and there it was,&quot; she said, laughing. 
 
By early afternoon, workers from New York&#39;s Department of Parks and Recreation had taken down the statue. 
 
Mae Ferguson, a Parks Department spokeswoman, said the statue was removed because the installation of any unapproved structure is illegal in any city park. 
 
The activist collective, a group called INDECLINE that includes artists, musicians and filmmakers, claimed ownership of the work, saying in an email that the statues were also placed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Cleveland. It said an artist called Ginger helped create the likeness. 
 
&quot;These fleeting installations represent this fleeting nightmare and in the fall, it is our wish to look back and laugh at Donald Trump&#39;s failed and delusional quest to obtain the presidency,&quot; INDECLINE said in a statement. 
 
A Trump spokeswoman did not respond immediately to an email with a request for comment. 
 
(Reuters)

Workers from New York's Department of Parks and Recreation took down the statue shortly after it was installed in the city

An artists' collective took credit for exposing Donald Trump to unflattering scrutiny on Thursday, saying it was responsible for a life-sized nude statue of the Republican presidential candidate that turned up in a New York City park. Copies of the orange-tinted likeness - featuring a massive belly, small fingers and missing some genital parts - were simultaneously unveiled in downtown Manhattan's Union Square Park and public places in four other US cities. The collective titled the work "The Emperor Has No Balls." In New York, the unauthorised installation appeared to surprise passers-by - prompting stares, giggles and shrugs of bemusement from park visitors. Ina Cope, a 58-year-old retiree from the Bronx borough of New York, said she was not expecting to see the Trump statue when she got off the subway to meet a friend for lunch. "It was crazy: I was coming off the train, minding my own business, and there it was," she said, laughing. By early afternoon, workers from New York's Department of Parks and Recreation had taken down the statue. Mae Ferguson, a Parks Department spokeswoman, said the statue was removed because the installation of any unapproved structure is illegal in any city park. The activist collective, a group called INDECLINE that includes artists, musicians and filmmakers, claimed ownership of the work, saying in an email that the statues were also placed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Cleveland. It said an artist called Ginger helped create the likeness. "These fleeting installations represent this fleeting nightmare and in the fall, it is our wish to look back and laugh at Donald Trump's failed and delusional quest to obtain the presidency," INDECLINE said in a statement. A Trump spokeswoman did not respond immediately to an email with a request for comment. (Reuters)

Naked statues of Trump draw dozens of onlookers in US cities

A gunman shot and killed a New York imam and his assistant near their mosque in the borough of Queens during a brazen attack carried out in broad daylight Saturday. 
 
Police said the imam, identified as Maulama Akonjee, 55, and his assistant, 64-year-old Thara Uddin, were shot just before 2:00 pm (1800 GMT) in the Ozone Park neighborhood.&nbsp; 
 
The working class area, on the border between Queens and Brooklyn, is home to many Muslim families from Bangladesh. 
 
Both men were taken to nearby Jamaica Hospital with gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead there. 
 
The shooting comes amid a climate of growing Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment as a series of deadly attacks have unfolded in the United States and abroad, some of which have been claimed by the Islamic State group, and Republican presidential contender Donald Trump`s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US.&nbsp; 
 
The two men were approached from behind by a suspect, who witnesses saw fleeing the scene with a gun, according to police. The street on which they were killed is called Liberty Avenue. 
 
Officers said the individual is still at large and the investigation is ongoing. 
 
US media reported that the men were shot after leaving the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque after Saturday afternoon prayers, dressed in traditional Muslim garb. 
 
However, police said the motive is unknown and no arrests have been made. 
 
&quot;There is nothing in the preliminary investigation to indicate that they were targeted because of their faith,&quot; police told journalists.But Sarah Sayeed of the New York mayor`s office insisted that &quot;the NYPD is looking at all angles of this crime, including the hate crime (angle).&quot; 
 
Kobir Chowdhury, who heads the nearby Masjid Al-Aman mosque in Brooklyn, said: &quot;Please, read my lips. This is a hate crime, no matter which way you look at it. 
 
&quot;It`s hate against humanity, it`s hate against Muslims, these are Islamophobes who are causing these kind of troubles.&quot; 
 
During a vigil, the faithful prayed outside the mosque, heads bent and their palms facing the sky. 
 
&quot;Imagine your father gunned down for no reason, and then let that feeling, let that motivate you to come out of your silence,&quot; Afaf Nasher, the director of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations, said at a tense press conference in front of the mosque. 
 
&quot;When we stay silent we allow crimes to continue to occur,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;So every single one of us shares in this responsibility. And let`s not forget the victims who are essential to all of this.&quot; 
 
US Representative Nydia Velazquez said in a tweet that she was &quot;horrified&quot; by the shooting. 
 
&quot;All NYers must stand united in condemning acts like these,&quot; she added. 
 
The neighborhood`s city council representative Eric Ulrich tweeted that he stood &quot;in strong solidarity with all Muslim New Yorkers tonight as we mourn the killings.&quot; 
 
&quot;When a religious leader is killed in broad daylight on the streets of Queens, we must come together as a community and demand justice!&quot; he wrote. 
 
As night fell, a few hundred people gathered near the scene of the fatal shooting, many of them yelling &quot;we want justice&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

The duo were murdered in broad daylight on the border between Queens and Brooklyn, which is home to many Muslims from Bangladesh

A gunman shot and killed a New York imam and his assistant near their mosque in the borough of Queens during a brazen attack carried out in broad daylight Saturday. Police said the imam, identified as Maulama Akonjee, 55, and his assistant, 64-year-old Thara Uddin, were shot just before 2:00 pm (1800 GMT) in the Ozone Park neighborhood. The working class area, on the border between Queens and Brooklyn, is home to many Muslim families from Bangladesh. Both men were taken to nearby Jamaica Hospital with gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead there. The shooting comes amid a climate of growing Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment as a series of deadly attacks have unfolded in the United States and abroad, some of which have been claimed by the Islamic State group, and Republican presidential contender Donald Trump`s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US. The two men were approached from behind by a suspect, who witnesses saw fleeing the scene with a gun, according to police. The street on which they were killed is called Liberty Avenue. Officers said the individual is still at large and the investigation is ongoing. US media reported that the men were shot after leaving the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque after Saturday afternoon prayers, dressed in traditional Muslim garb. However, police said the motive is unknown and no arrests have been made. "There is nothing in the preliminary investigation to indicate that they were targeted because of their faith," police told journalists.But Sarah Sayeed of the New York mayor`s office insisted that "the NYPD is looking at all angles of this crime, including the hate crime (angle)." Kobir Chowdhury, who heads the nearby Masjid Al-Aman mosque in Brooklyn, said: "Please, read my lips. This is a hate crime, no matter which way you look at it. "It`s hate against humanity, it`s hate against Muslims, these are Islamophobes who are causing these kind of troubles." During a vigil, the faithful prayed outside the mosque, heads bent and their palms facing the sky. "Imagine your father gunned down for no reason, and then let that feeling, let that motivate you to come out of your silence," Afaf Nasher, the director of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations, said at a tense press conference in front of the mosque. "When we stay silent we allow crimes to continue to occur," she said. "So every single one of us shares in this responsibility. And let`s not forget the victims who are essential to all of this." US Representative Nydia Velazquez said in a tweet that she was "horrified" by the shooting. "All NYers must stand united in condemning acts like these," she added. The neighborhood`s city council representative Eric Ulrich tweeted that he stood "in strong solidarity with all Muslim New Yorkers tonight as we mourn the killings." "When a religious leader is killed in broad daylight on the streets of Queens, we must come together as a community and demand justice!" he wrote. As night fell, a few hundred people gathered near the scene of the fatal shooting, many of them yelling "we want justice". (AFP)

Imam, assistant shot dead near New York mosque

Artists will come together for a tribute concert to the late music icon Prince in October in his hometown Minneapolis, his family says. 
 
The show will take place on October 13 at the newly built US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings football team, Prince&#39;s sister Tyka Nelson wrote on Facebook. 
 
The lineup has not been announced, but Nelson said that tickets would go on sale later in August. 
 
Prince, one of the most influential artists of his generation who popularised the &quot;Minneapolis sound&quot; of infectious funk, died on April 21 from a painkiller overdose at his Paisley Park estate outside the city. 
 
 
Concert could be a needed boon for family&nbsp; 
 
The tribute concert could be a boon to his family amid question marks over the future of his estate.&nbsp;Prince, who was outwardly in model of health, did not leave a will and had no recognised children. Tyka Nelson is his closest relative and he also had five half-siblings, but a number of other people have also claimed to be heirs. 
 
The family put a professional administrator in charge of Prince&#39;s affairs. A judge in June gave the green light for the service to seek business deals, saying the estate likely risked a shortfall in cash needed to pay taxes in the wake of Prince&#39;s death. 
 
The concert would be the only publicly sanctioned memorial event for Prince, who was guarded about his personal life despite his flamboyant stage presence. 
 
His body was cremated, and family and friends held a small gathering at Paisley Park shortly after his death, followed by a private service among his Jehovah&#39;s Witness religious community. 
 
David Bowie, another music legend whose death stunned fans this year, was similarly discreet with his family holding no public events to mourn him. 
 
In contrast, King of Pop Michael Jackson, sometimes described as Prince&#39;s rival in the 1980s, was mourned with a star-studded concert in Los Angeles in 2009 with his gold-plated casket in front of the stage. 
 
Perhaps the best-known tribute concert in rock history was for Queen singer Freddie Mercury. His 1992 show was broadcast internationally from London&#39;s Wembley Stadium to raise money for AIDS research. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

The concert would be only publicly sanctioned memorial event for Prince, who was quite guarded about his personal life

Artists will come together for a tribute concert to the late music icon Prince in October in his hometown Minneapolis, his family says. The show will take place on October 13 at the newly built US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings football team, Prince's sister Tyka Nelson wrote on Facebook. The lineup has not been announced, but Nelson said that tickets would go on sale later in August. Prince, one of the most influential artists of his generation who popularised the "Minneapolis sound" of infectious funk, died on April 21 from a painkiller overdose at his Paisley Park estate outside the city. Concert could be a needed boon for family The tribute concert could be a boon to his family amid question marks over the future of his estate. Prince, who was outwardly in model of health, did not leave a will and had no recognised children. Tyka Nelson is his closest relative and he also had five half-siblings, but a number of other people have also claimed to be heirs. The family put a professional administrator in charge of Prince's affairs. A judge in June gave the green light for the service to seek business deals, saying the estate likely risked a shortfall in cash needed to pay taxes in the wake of Prince's death. The concert would be the only publicly sanctioned memorial event for Prince, who was guarded about his personal life despite his flamboyant stage presence. His body was cremated, and family and friends held a small gathering at Paisley Park shortly after his death, followed by a private service among his Jehovah's Witness religious community. David Bowie, another music legend whose death stunned fans this year, was similarly discreet with his family holding no public events to mourn him. In contrast, King of Pop Michael Jackson, sometimes described as Prince's rival in the 1980s, was mourned with a star-studded concert in Los Angeles in 2009 with his gold-plated casket in front of the stage. Perhaps the best-known tribute concert in rock history was for Queen singer Freddie Mercury. His 1992 show was broadcast internationally from London's Wembley Stadium to raise money for AIDS research. (AFP)

Tribute concert for pop icon Prince set for October

Wall Street was set to open higher today, setting the stage for the Dow and S&amp;P 500 to hit fresh highs, as US corporate reports continue to top expectations. 
 
Equity futures, which dipped after the close on Friday, shrugged off the impact of an attempted coup in Turkey. 
 
With the S&amp;P and Dow hitting record intraday highs almost everyday last week, investors will assess the quality of second-quarter earnings to justify stock valuations. 
 
&quot;The markets are going to be driven by earnings reports while geopolitical problems take a backseat for now,&quot; said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at First Standard Financial in New York. 
 
Bank of America profits show corporations making money&nbsp; 
 
Bank of America, the number 2 US bank by assets, and fellow S&amp;P component Hasbro posted better than expected profit for the second quarter, mirroring the results of the few companies, including big banks, that reported last week. 
 
&quot;The handful of results that we have got have been okay and earnings have mostly beaten expectations. It shows that corporations are still making money, and that&#39;s what counts,&quot; Cardillo said. 
 
Dow e-minis were up 32 points, or 0.17 per cent at 8:27 a.m. ET (1227 GMT), with 28,500 contracts changing hands. 
 
S&amp;P 500 e-minis were up 5.75 points, or 0.27 per cent, with 186,056 contracts traded. 
 
Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 10.5 points, or 0.23 per cent, on volume of 25,766 contracts. 
 
Bank of America shares rose nearly 1 per cent to $13.79 premarket. Hasbro was off 0.6 pe rcent. 
 
Investors favouring riskier assets? &nbsp; 
 
British chip designer ARM&#39;s US-listed shares surged 43.5 per cent to $67.64 premarket, after Japan&#39;s SoftBank agreed to buy the company for $32.2 billion. 
 
A host of US chip stock such as Micron, Nvidia and Broadcom were up between 1.0 and 1.5 per cent. 
 
Earnings of S&amp;P 500 companies are now estimated to have declined 4.7 per cent in the second quarter, less than the 5 per cent drop estimated earlier, according to Thomson Reuters data. 
 
That adds to hopes that earnings contraction bottomed out in the previous quarter, a view that could be reinforced when IBM, Yahoo and Netflix report results after markets close. 
 
Gold prices have fallen, while the yen was lower, indicating investors&#39; favour for more riskier assets has been growing after weeks of uncertainty. Low Treasury yields in recent weeks have also helped steer investors to equities. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Equity futures, which dipped after the close on Friday, shrugged off the impact of an attempted coup in Turkey

Wall Street was set to open higher today, setting the stage for the Dow and S&P 500 to hit fresh highs, as US corporate reports continue to top expectations. Equity futures, which dipped after the close on Friday, shrugged off the impact of an attempted coup in Turkey. With the S&P and Dow hitting record intraday highs almost everyday last week, investors will assess the quality of second-quarter earnings to justify stock valuations. "The markets are going to be driven by earnings reports while geopolitical problems take a backseat for now," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at First Standard Financial in New York. Bank of America profits show corporations making money Bank of America, the number 2 US bank by assets, and fellow S&P component Hasbro posted better than expected profit for the second quarter, mirroring the results of the few companies, including big banks, that reported last week. "The handful of results that we have got have been okay and earnings have mostly beaten expectations. It shows that corporations are still making money, and that's what counts," Cardillo said. Dow e-minis were up 32 points, or 0.17 per cent at 8:27 a.m. ET (1227 GMT), with 28,500 contracts changing hands. S&P 500 e-minis were up 5.75 points, or 0.27 per cent, with 186,056 contracts traded. Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 10.5 points, or 0.23 per cent, on volume of 25,766 contracts. Bank of America shares rose nearly 1 per cent to $13.79 premarket. Hasbro was off 0.6 pe rcent. Investors favouring riskier assets? British chip designer ARM's US-listed shares surged 43.5 per cent to $67.64 premarket, after Japan's SoftBank agreed to buy the company for $32.2 billion. A host of US chip stock such as Micron, Nvidia and Broadcom were up between 1.0 and 1.5 per cent. Earnings of S&P 500 companies are now estimated to have declined 4.7 per cent in the second quarter, less than the 5 per cent drop estimated earlier, according to Thomson Reuters data. That adds to hopes that earnings contraction bottomed out in the previous quarter, a view that could be reinforced when IBM, Yahoo and Netflix report results after markets close. Gold prices have fallen, while the yen was lower, indicating investors' favour for more riskier assets has been growing after weeks of uncertainty. Low Treasury yields in recent weeks have also helped steer investors to equities. (Reuters)

Wall Street gears up for upbeat earnings

The Dow industrials ended at a record high on Friday and major indexes closed a third consecutive week of gains as upbeat economic data and the start of earnings season gave investors confidence. 
 
But equity futures fell after the closing bell following reports of a coup in Turkey. The military said it had seized power, but the Turkish Prime Minister later asserted the attempted coup was put down. 
 
&quot;US (Treasury) yields have fallen, the Turkish lira plummeted, gold is up, you could call it a textbook response to this kind of situation,&quot; said Brian Jacobsen, chief portfolio strategist at Wells Fargo Funds Management in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. 
 
&quot;How it plays out depends on what the effects are by the time markets open on Monday. It is unclear right now who is in control,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
A US exchange-traded fund that follows the Turkish stock market dropped sharply near the end of the session and was down 6 per cent after the bell. 
 
S&amp;P 500 e-mini futures hit a session low down 0.65 per cent after the reports, but pared the loss and were down 0.5 per cent. 
 
Jacobsen added: &quot;I don`t think this spills over to other countries. This isn&rsquo;t like the Arab Spring of 2011 where there was a cascade of anti-government protests in favour of democratic reforms. The issues Turkey is wrestling with seem unique to Turkey.&quot; 
 
&#39;US retail sales rose more than expected in June&#39;&nbsp; 
 
During the normal-hours session, consumer stocks led declines on the S&amp;P 500 while the financial sector posted a less than 0.2 per cent drop, even as Wells Fargo, whose profits fell in the second quarter, fell 2.5 per cent to $47.71 to rank as the largest weight on the S&amp;P. 
 
But expectations for S&amp;P earnings ticked up to a 4.7 per cent decline from a view of a 5-per cent drop earlier in the week, cementing hopes that an earnings contraction bottomed in the first quarter. 
 
Adding to investor confidence, US retail sales rose more than expected in June, bolstering views that economic growth picked up in the second quarter. 
 
&quot;When you go into earnings season with negative bias in the market it bodes well for stocks. Any positive surprises will force shorts to cover and gives an upbeat tone,&quot; said Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial in Newark, New Jersey. 
 
Three major indexes close their third week of gains&nbsp; 
 
The Dow Jones industrial average, DJI, rose 10.14 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 18,516.55, the S&amp;P 500 lost 2.01 points, or 0.09 per cent, to 2,161.74 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 4.47 points, or 0.09 per cent, to 5,029.59. 
 
The Dow closed at a record high and joined the S&amp;P 500 in posting fresh intraday historic highs. The three major indexes closed their third week of gains, a period in which the S&amp;P advanced more than 6 percent. 
 
Market reaction on Friday to a Thursday attack in France that killed more than 80 people was limited to declines in travel and leisure company shares. 
 
Herbalife jumped 9.9 percent to $65.25 after the weight-loss products maker agreed to pay $200 million and change the way it does business to avoid being labelled a pyramid scheme by regulators. 
 
Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.20-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.12-to-1 ratio favoured advancers. 
 
The S&amp;P 500 posted 26 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 77 new highs and 18 new lows. 
About 6.1 billion shares changed hands in U.S. exchanges, below the 7.8 billion daily average over the past 20 sessions.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

'US (Treasury) yields have fallen, the Turkish lira plummeted, gold is up, you could call it a textbook response to this kind of situation'

The Dow industrials ended at a record high on Friday and major indexes closed a third consecutive week of gains as upbeat economic data and the start of earnings season gave investors confidence. But equity futures fell after the closing bell following reports of a coup in Turkey. The military said it had seized power, but the Turkish Prime Minister later asserted the attempted coup was put down. "US (Treasury) yields have fallen, the Turkish lira plummeted, gold is up, you could call it a textbook response to this kind of situation," said Brian Jacobsen, chief portfolio strategist at Wells Fargo Funds Management in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. "How it plays out depends on what the effects are by the time markets open on Monday. It is unclear right now who is in control," he said. A US exchange-traded fund that follows the Turkish stock market dropped sharply near the end of the session and was down 6 per cent after the bell. S&P 500 e-mini futures hit a session low down 0.65 per cent after the reports, but pared the loss and were down 0.5 per cent. Jacobsen added: "I don`t think this spills over to other countries. This isn’t like the Arab Spring of 2011 where there was a cascade of anti-government protests in favour of democratic reforms. The issues Turkey is wrestling with seem unique to Turkey." 'US retail sales rose more than expected in June' During the normal-hours session, consumer stocks led declines on the S&P 500 while the financial sector posted a less than 0.2 per cent drop, even as Wells Fargo, whose profits fell in the second quarter, fell 2.5 per cent to $47.71 to rank as the largest weight on the S&P. But expectations for S&P earnings ticked up to a 4.7 per cent decline from a view of a 5-per cent drop earlier in the week, cementing hopes that an earnings contraction bottomed in the first quarter. Adding to investor confidence, US retail sales rose more than expected in June, bolstering views that economic growth picked up in the second quarter. "When you go into earnings season with negative bias in the market it bodes well for stocks. Any positive surprises will force shorts to cover and gives an upbeat tone," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial in Newark, New Jersey. Three major indexes close their third week of gains The Dow Jones industrial average, DJI, rose 10.14 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 18,516.55, the S&P 500 lost 2.01 points, or 0.09 per cent, to 2,161.74 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 4.47 points, or 0.09 per cent, to 5,029.59. The Dow closed at a record high and joined the S&P 500 in posting fresh intraday historic highs. The three major indexes closed their third week of gains, a period in which the S&P advanced more than 6 percent. Market reaction on Friday to a Thursday attack in France that killed more than 80 people was limited to declines in travel and leisure company shares. Herbalife jumped 9.9 percent to $65.25 after the weight-loss products maker agreed to pay $200 million and change the way it does business to avoid being labelled a pyramid scheme by regulators. Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.20-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.12-to-1 ratio favoured advancers. The S&P 500 posted 26 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 77 new highs and 18 new lows. About 6.1 billion shares changed hands in U.S. exchanges, below the 7.8 billion daily average over the past 20 sessions. (Reuters)

Dow ends at record high but futures fall flat after attempted coup in Turkey

New York City&#39;s health department today reported the first female-to-male transmission of the Zika virus which is most typically spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. 
 
Transmission of the virus occurred on the day that a woman in her 20s returned to New York from an area with active Zika transmission and had a single event of unprotected sex with a male partner. The man had not travelled outside of the United States in the prior year. 
 
The woman developed fever, fatigue a rash and body aches the next day and sought treatment. Health department officials then confirmed her infection. When her male partner developed symptoms seven days later and sought treatment from the same caregiver, he, too, was diagnosed with Zika. 
 
Health officials from New York, who reported the case in the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention&#39;s weekly report on death and disease, said the timing and sequence of events support female to male Zika virus transmission through unprotected vaginal sex. 
 
The CDC said it recommends that all pregnant women who have a sex partner who has travelled to or resides in an area with Zika use barrier methods every time they have sex or they should not have sex during the pregnancy. Although no cases of woman-to-woman Zika transmission have been reported, these recommendations now also apply to female sex partners of pregnant women. 
 
US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. 
 
The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults. The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. 
 
(Reuters)

The transmission of virus occurred from the female to male partner through unprotected sex, health officials in New York concluded

New York City's health department today reported the first female-to-male transmission of the Zika virus which is most typically spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Transmission of the virus occurred on the day that a woman in her 20s returned to New York from an area with active Zika transmission and had a single event of unprotected sex with a male partner. The man had not travelled outside of the United States in the prior year. The woman developed fever, fatigue a rash and body aches the next day and sought treatment. Health department officials then confirmed her infection. When her male partner developed symptoms seven days later and sought treatment from the same caregiver, he, too, was diagnosed with Zika. Health officials from New York, who reported the case in the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention's weekly report on death and disease, said the timing and sequence of events support female to male Zika virus transmission through unprotected vaginal sex. The CDC said it recommends that all pregnant women who have a sex partner who has travelled to or resides in an area with Zika use barrier methods every time they have sex or they should not have sex during the pregnancy. Although no cases of woman-to-woman Zika transmission have been reported, these recommendations now also apply to female sex partners of pregnant women. US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults. The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. (Reuters)

New York City reports first female-to-male Zika transmission

Tesla does not plan to disable the Autopilot self-driving function in its cars despite accidents possibly linked to it, founder Elon Musk told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. 
 
As US auto safety regulators moved forward in a probe of a fatal accident involving Autopilot in May, Musk said in an interview that owners of Tesla&#39;s luxury electric cars need more education on using the technology. 
 
&quot;A lot of people don&#39;t understand what it is and how you turn it on,&quot; Musk told the Journal. 
 
He stressed that the company has labeled the technology a &quot;beta&quot; or advanced testing version to indicate that it has not been perfected. 
 
&quot;It says beta specifically so people do not become complacent,&quot; he said. 
 
Two recent accidents, one fatal, have involved drivers using Autopilot, though specifics of how much the drivers were still involved in piloting the cars at the time are not available. 
 
On Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a letter sent to Tesla last week requesting the company to supply detailed information on the car involved in the deadly May 7 crash in Florida, including Tesla&#39;s own analyses of what happened and of possible problems with Autopilot. 
 
They also demanded all Tesla&#39;s records of other crashes and driver complaints, and details on the functioning of the cars` automatic emergency braking system. 
 
Musk has defended the company`s technology -- the most advanced driver-assist system currently available to consumers -- as on the balance safer than regular cars, noting the Florida accident was the first fatality in a Tesla linked to Autopilot. 
 
&quot;This is the first known fatality in just over 130 million miles where Autopilot was activated. Among all vehicles in the US, there is a fatality every 94 million miles,&quot; the company said on its website last week. 
 
But worries have mounted that the feature has some faults, including not being able to recognise cars halted on the road, and that drivers are being lulled into a false sense of safety and not watching the road. 
 
In the Florida accident, the car slammed into the side of a tractor-trailer crossing the road in front of it apparently without braking at all. 
 
The Journal has catalogued a number of accidents that Tesla drivers say were linked to Autopilot use, including a July 1 incident in Pennsylvania that US regulators are also reportedly looking into. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

"A lot of people don't understand what it is and how you turn it on," founder Elon Musk told WSJ

Tesla does not plan to disable the Autopilot self-driving function in its cars despite accidents possibly linked to it, founder Elon Musk told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. As US auto safety regulators moved forward in a probe of a fatal accident involving Autopilot in May, Musk said in an interview that owners of Tesla's luxury electric cars need more education on using the technology. "A lot of people don't understand what it is and how you turn it on," Musk told the Journal. He stressed that the company has labeled the technology a "beta" or advanced testing version to indicate that it has not been perfected. "It says beta specifically so people do not become complacent," he said. Two recent accidents, one fatal, have involved drivers using Autopilot, though specifics of how much the drivers were still involved in piloting the cars at the time are not available. On Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a letter sent to Tesla last week requesting the company to supply detailed information on the car involved in the deadly May 7 crash in Florida, including Tesla's own analyses of what happened and of possible problems with Autopilot. They also demanded all Tesla's records of other crashes and driver complaints, and details on the functioning of the cars` automatic emergency braking system. Musk has defended the company`s technology -- the most advanced driver-assist system currently available to consumers -- as on the balance safer than regular cars, noting the Florida accident was the first fatality in a Tesla linked to Autopilot. "This is the first known fatality in just over 130 million miles where Autopilot was activated. Among all vehicles in the US, there is a fatality every 94 million miles," the company said on its website last week. But worries have mounted that the feature has some faults, including not being able to recognise cars halted on the road, and that drivers are being lulled into a false sense of safety and not watching the road. In the Florida accident, the car slammed into the side of a tractor-trailer crossing the road in front of it apparently without braking at all. The Journal has catalogued a number of accidents that Tesla drivers say were linked to Autopilot use, including a July 1 incident in Pennsylvania that US regulators are also reportedly looking into. (AFP)

Tesla won't disable autopilot feature despite accidents

Japanese messaging app firm Line Corp priced its initial public offering (IPO) at the top of its marketed range, putting it on track to raise as much as $1.3 billion and reflecting robust appetite for the world&#39;s biggest tech listing this year. 
 
Line set the IPO price at 3,300 Yen per share, compared with its book-building range of 2,900-3,300 Yen, a filing with Japan&#39;s finance ministry showed on Monday. 
 
It had initially set the range at 2,700-3,200 Yen but bumped it up last week amid buoyant demand. 
 
Line, owned by South Korea&#39;s Naver Corp, is set for a dual New York and Tokyo listing this week, raising funds and boosting its profile to ratchet up its global expansion outside its key markets of Japan and Southeast Asia. 
 
&quot;This is seen as an event by many domestic retail investors. I think the price will rise in the short term,&quot; said Mitsushige Akino, executive officer at Ichiyoshi Asset Management. 
 
But he added that investors will also need to look at whether the company increases profits in the long term. 
 
Including an overallotment arrangement, Line is selling up to 132.8 billion Yen ($1.3 billion) of shares. The IPO pricing values the company at 693 billion Yen ($6.9 billion). 
 
Line&#39;s messaging app was launched in the aftermath of Japan&#39;s 2011 earthquake and tsunami to overcome downed communications, growing unexpectedly to become the country&#39;s dominant mobile messaging platform over the next few years. 
 
The bulk of its revenue comes from games and sales of emojis and electronic stickers. 
 
Line will debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday and on the Tokyo Stock Exchange the following day. 
 
Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Nomura are managing the listing. 
 
($1 = 100.8100 Yen) 
 
(Reuters)

Line is set for a dual New York and Tokyo listing this week, raising funds and boosting its profile

Japanese messaging app firm Line Corp priced its initial public offering (IPO) at the top of its marketed range, putting it on track to raise as much as $1.3 billion and reflecting robust appetite for the world's biggest tech listing this year. Line set the IPO price at 3,300 Yen per share, compared with its book-building range of 2,900-3,300 Yen, a filing with Japan's finance ministry showed on Monday. It had initially set the range at 2,700-3,200 Yen but bumped it up last week amid buoyant demand. Line, owned by South Korea's Naver Corp, is set for a dual New York and Tokyo listing this week, raising funds and boosting its profile to ratchet up its global expansion outside its key markets of Japan and Southeast Asia. "This is seen as an event by many domestic retail investors. I think the price will rise in the short term," said Mitsushige Akino, executive officer at Ichiyoshi Asset Management. But he added that investors will also need to look at whether the company increases profits in the long term. Including an overallotment arrangement, Line is selling up to 132.8 billion Yen ($1.3 billion) of shares. The IPO pricing values the company at 693 billion Yen ($6.9 billion). Line's messaging app was launched in the aftermath of Japan's 2011 earthquake and tsunami to overcome downed communications, growing unexpectedly to become the country's dominant mobile messaging platform over the next few years. The bulk of its revenue comes from games and sales of emojis and electronic stickers. Line will debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday and on the Tokyo Stock Exchange the following day. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Nomura are managing the listing. ($1 = 100.8100 Yen) (Reuters)

Japan's messaging app Line prices IPO at top of the range, may raise up to $1.3 billion

Two Muslim teenagers were beaten outside a New York City mosque by an attacker who shouted slurs at them, a rights group said on Monday, calling for police to investigate the incident as a bias crime. 
 
The attack early on Sunday was at least the third involving Muslims in the United States over the weekend. A law enforcement source said investigators had ruled out the incident as a bias crime. 
 
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said in a statement that a 16-year-old boy was attacked outside Brooklyn&#39;s Muslim Community Center as he took a break from prayers.&nbsp; 
 
A surveillance video released by CAIR showed a man punching, kicking and stomping the youth as he lay in the street. Another teenager on a bicycle was chased and attacked when he rode past the boy. 
 
CAIR said the man was reportedly heard shouting: &quot;You Muslims are the cause of all the problems of the world&quot; and calling the youths &quot;terrorists.&quot; 
 
The 16-year-old suffered a concussion, cuts, bruises and a badly swollen eye, and was taken to a hospital. The second teenager had a black eye, CAIR said. 
 
Afaf Nasher, the executive director of CAIR in New York, said the slurs warranted an investigation into a possible bias motive. 
 
A spokesman for the New York Police Department said the 16-year-old suffered bruises to the head and was treated at a hospital. The second teenager refused medical attention. The spokesman gave his age as 17. 
 
The law enforcement source said the police hate crimes unit had rejected the incident as a bias crime. He said the two youths were harassing a 40-year-old woman in a car and her 37-year-old boyfriend assaulted them. 
 
The man has been identified and a search for him is underway, the source said. 
 
In Houston, on Sunday, a Muslim doctor headed for morning prayers at a mosque was shot in an attack by three men. The motive was unclear, but came a day after another Muslim man was beaten outside a Florida mosque. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

The attack early on Sunday was at least the third involving Muslims in the United States over the weekend

Two Muslim teenagers were beaten outside a New York City mosque by an attacker who shouted slurs at them, a rights group said on Monday, calling for police to investigate the incident as a bias crime. The attack early on Sunday was at least the third involving Muslims in the United States over the weekend. A law enforcement source said investigators had ruled out the incident as a bias crime. The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said in a statement that a 16-year-old boy was attacked outside Brooklyn's Muslim Community Center as he took a break from prayers. A surveillance video released by CAIR showed a man punching, kicking and stomping the youth as he lay in the street. Another teenager on a bicycle was chased and attacked when he rode past the boy. CAIR said the man was reportedly heard shouting: "You Muslims are the cause of all the problems of the world" and calling the youths "terrorists." The 16-year-old suffered a concussion, cuts, bruises and a badly swollen eye, and was taken to a hospital. The second teenager had a black eye, CAIR said. Afaf Nasher, the executive director of CAIR in New York, said the slurs warranted an investigation into a possible bias motive. A spokesman for the New York Police Department said the 16-year-old suffered bruises to the head and was treated at a hospital. The second teenager refused medical attention. The spokesman gave his age as 17. The law enforcement source said the police hate crimes unit had rejected the incident as a bias crime. He said the two youths were harassing a 40-year-old woman in a car and her 37-year-old boyfriend assaulted them. The man has been identified and a search for him is underway, the source said. In Houston, on Sunday, a Muslim doctor headed for morning prayers at a mosque was shot in an attack by three men. The motive was unclear, but came a day after another Muslim man was beaten outside a Florida mosque. (Reuters)

Two Muslim teens attacked outside mosque in New York

An airplane powered solely by the sun landed safely in Seville in Spain early today after an almost three-day flight across the Atlantic from New York in one of the longest legs of the first ever fuel-less flight around the world. 
 
The single-seat Solar Impulse 2 touched down shortly after 7.30 a.m. local time in Seville after leaving John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 2.30 a.m. EDT on June 20. 
 
The flight of just over 71 hours was the 15th leg of the round-the-world journey by the plane piloted in turns by Swiss aviators Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg. 
 
&quot;Oh-la-la, absolutely perfect,&quot; Piccard said after landing, thanking his engineering crew for their efforts. 
 
With a cruising speed of around 70 kilometres an hour (43 miles per hour), similar to an average car, the plane has more than 17,0000 solar cells built in to wings with a span bigger than that of a Boeing 747. 
 
(Reuters)

The flight of just over 71 hours was the 15th leg of the round-the-world journey piloted by Bertrand Piiccard and Andre Borschbe

An airplane powered solely by the sun landed safely in Seville in Spain early today after an almost three-day flight across the Atlantic from New York in one of the longest legs of the first ever fuel-less flight around the world. The single-seat Solar Impulse 2 touched down shortly after 7.30 a.m. local time in Seville after leaving John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 2.30 a.m. EDT on June 20. The flight of just over 71 hours was the 15th leg of the round-the-world journey by the plane piloted in turns by Swiss aviators Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg. "Oh-la-la, absolutely perfect," Piccard said after landing, thanking his engineering crew for their efforts. With a cruising speed of around 70 kilometres an hour (43 miles per hour), similar to an average car, the plane has more than 17,0000 solar cells built in to wings with a span bigger than that of a Boeing 747. (Reuters)

Solar plane lands in Spain after three-day Atlantic crossing

A solar-powered airplane left the United States today, taking off from New York City to fly across Atlantic for its historic bid to circle the globe. 
 
The spindly, single-seat experimental aircraft, dubbed as Solar Impulse 2, left New York&#39;s John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 2:30 am local time (0630 GMT) &nbsp;today. 
 
The flight is expected to take approximately 90 to 110 hours before landing in Seville Airport, Spain, said&nbsp;the project team. 
 
The Swiss team flying the aircraft in a campaign to build support for clean energy technologies hopes eventually to complete its circumnavigation in Abu Dhabi, where the journey began in March 2015. 
 
The solar craft&#39;s cruising speed, akin to that of a car, required pilots to take up meditation and hypnosis in training to stay alert for long periods. 
 
Andre Borschberg alternates with fellow pilot Bertrand Piccard at the controls for each segment of what they hope will be the first round-the-world solar-powered flight. 
 
On April 24, Piccard landed in San Francisco, completing a trans-Pacific crossing after a nearly three-day trip that began in Hawaii. The flight took more than three times the 18 hours for Amelia Earhart to fly solo from Hawaii to California in the 1930s. 
 
The propeller-driven Solar Impulse flies without a drop of fuel and its four engines are powered solely by energy collected from more than 17,000 solar cells built into its wings. 
 
Surplus power is stored in four batteries during the day, to keep the plane aloft on extreme long-distance flights. 
 
The carbon-fiber plane, with a wingspan exceeding that of a Boeing 747 and the weight of a family car, is unlikely to set speed or altitude records. It can climb to 28,000 feet (8,500 m), and cruise at 34 to 62 mph (55 to 100 kph). 
 
In a precursor of their globe-circling quest, the two men completed a multi-flight crossing of the United States with an earlier version of the solar plane in 2013. 
(Reuters)

The solar craft's cruising speed, akin to that of a car, required pilots to take up meditation and hypnosis in training to stay alert

A solar-powered airplane left the United States today, taking off from New York City to fly across Atlantic for its historic bid to circle the globe. The spindly, single-seat experimental aircraft, dubbed as Solar Impulse 2, left New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 2:30 am local time (0630 GMT) today. The flight is expected to take approximately 90 to 110 hours before landing in Seville Airport, Spain, said the project team. The Swiss team flying the aircraft in a campaign to build support for clean energy technologies hopes eventually to complete its circumnavigation in Abu Dhabi, where the journey began in March 2015. The solar craft's cruising speed, akin to that of a car, required pilots to take up meditation and hypnosis in training to stay alert for long periods. Andre Borschberg alternates with fellow pilot Bertrand Piccard at the controls for each segment of what they hope will be the first round-the-world solar-powered flight. On April 24, Piccard landed in San Francisco, completing a trans-Pacific crossing after a nearly three-day trip that began in Hawaii. The flight took more than three times the 18 hours for Amelia Earhart to fly solo from Hawaii to California in the 1930s. The propeller-driven Solar Impulse flies without a drop of fuel and its four engines are powered solely by energy collected from more than 17,000 solar cells built into its wings. Surplus power is stored in four batteries during the day, to keep the plane aloft on extreme long-distance flights. The carbon-fiber plane, with a wingspan exceeding that of a Boeing 747 and the weight of a family car, is unlikely to set speed or altitude records. It can climb to 28,000 feet (8,500 m), and cruise at 34 to 62 mph (55 to 100 kph). In a precursor of their globe-circling quest, the two men completed a multi-flight crossing of the United States with an earlier version of the solar plane in 2013. (Reuters)

Solar-powered plane takes on Atlantic as part of round-the-world bid

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