Yellen: Iran's Actions Not Impacted By Sanctions To The Extent US...
WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday the United States was looking at ways to strengthen its sanctions against Iran, but acknowledged the sanctions had not resulted in the behavioral or policy changes Washington desires from Tehran.
BRUSSELS, March 20 (Reuters) - European Union member states have agreed to supply one million rounds of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said on the sidelines of a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels on Monday.
Members (pictured) of the Gulf Cartel's Scorpions Group were abandoned on a Matamoros street and accused by the criminal organization of being behind last Friday's kidnapping of four Americans, including two who were killed.
On a post-earnings call in February, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said he was 'most excited about the automation opportunity we have' with plans to increase investments in automation technology as part of its more than $15-billion capital expenditure budget this year.
Walmart has been investing heavily in automation over the past few years, partnering with automation companies such as Knapp to help it cut down the number of steps it takes employees to process e-commerce orders to five from 12, which has been implemented at its Pedricktown, New Jersey location, for instance.
The Diamondback AR-15 was used by the Gulf Cartel's armed wing, known as the Scorpions Group, to shoot the Americans after they were intercepted on a Matamoros street the morning of March 3, several hours after the had driven over from Brownsville, Texas.
'We recently adjusted staffing levels to better prepare for the future needs of customers,' Walmart said in a statement, adding that it would work closely with affected associates to find jobs at other locations.
The spokesperson said impacted workers would be paid for 90 days to find jobs at other facilities, including those in Joliet, Illinois, and Lancaster, Texas, where the company has opened up new high-tech e-commerce distribution centers.
About 200 workers at Pedricktown, New Jersey, and hundreds of others at Fort Worth, Texas; Chino, California; Davenport, Florida; and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania were let go due to a reduction or elimination in evening and weekend shifts, the spokesperson said.
During an interview with HSI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents, Lugardo-Moreno confessed to having purchased on October 17, 2019, the weapon and several other firearms for a group that was going to hand them over to the Gulf Cartel.
The firearm in question, a Diamondback DB-15 multi-caliber AR style pistol, was recovered by Mexican authorities in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, following the abduction of the South Carolina residents on March 3.
Lugardo-Moreno's apprehension took places just two days after the Mexican government announced it was appealing a civil lawsuit against United States-based gun manufacturers as part of its efforts to stem the illegal flow of firearms to criminal organizations.
'A favorable decision in the court of appeals will allow the government to prove its case on the merits - that the gun manufacturers' marketing and distribution practices amount to actively facilitating the trafficking of their guns into Mexico,' the Mexican government said in a statement.
'There is a correlation between the negligent practices of companies and the arms trafficking that leads to violence in Mexico, as well as other crimes such as human trafficking and drug trafficking, particularly of fentanyl,' it added.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office in Harlingen, Texas, was alerted by law enforcement in Mexico on March 14 that the weapon used in the crime has been purchased in the U.S.
and dispatched agents who detained Lugardo-Moreno on Sunday.
