| California has strict gun laws. Here's how the Gilroy gunman evaded them Posted: 29 Jul 2019 02:27 PM PDT  US lawmakers renew calls for federal gun reform after shooter purchased weapon legally in NevadaPolice officers escort people from Christmas Hill Park following the shooting. Photograph: Noah Berger/APCalifornia has some of the most stringent gun laws in the country, including a ban on the type of rifle that a shooter used to kill three and wound 15 at the garlic food festival in Gilroy on Sunday.But the gunman had legally purchased the "assault-type rifle", in the style of an AK-47, from the neighboring state Nevada on 9 July before carrying it illegally over state lines into California, highlighting what some gun control advocates say is a loophole in the way laws operate, state by state.The suspect, 19, opened fire in the last hours of the three-day garlic festival, a beloved annual tradition that draws thousands of attendees of all ages. He injured 15 people and killed three – a six-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl and a man in his 20s – before being shot dead by police officers, who rushed him within a minute of bullets being heard.> Just days ago, a California judge upheld that state's assault weapons ban. > > Yesterday, a murderer who acquired an assault weapon legally in Nevada shot more than a dozen people in Gilroy in less than one minute. THIS is why we need a national ban. NoRAhttps://t.co/CCVonmecqL> > — NoRA (@NoRA4USA) July 29, 2019The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence ranks California first in the nation for having the strongest gun laws.California raised the minimum age to purchase a rifle to 21 in 2018. And last week, a federal judge upheld California's ban on owning, manufacturing or selling semiautomatic rifles and so-called "bullet buttons", rifle attachments that allow shooters to reload more quickly. The state has banned semi-automatic weapons for 20 years. The bullet button ban dates from 2016.Nevada, on the other hand, is ranked 25th in the Giffords Center's ranking.Big Mikes Gun and Ammo, the Nevada store where the gunman bought his weapon, said in a statement on its Facebook page that the shooter had bought the rifle off of the store's internet page."The reach of the California law ends at our border," California's attorney general, Xavier Becerra, told the San Francisco Chronicle, "and so we cannot control what other states do, and that's what makes it so tough. We may have progressive gun laws, but if other states don't match us, we have to rely on the ability to catch" the person.Several lawmakers have pointed at Sunday's shooting to once again call for a federal law that would close this cross-state loophole."The gun used by the Gilroy shooter was an AK-47 type assault rifle. This weapon is illegal to buy or possess in California, which appears to be why the shooter crossed into Nevada to buy the gun," said Senator Dianne Feinstein in a statement. "The assault weapons ban legislation I introduced earlier this year would have prevented that sale from happening. It's time for Congress to debate this bill and vote on it."Feinstein continued: "There are other bills out there that deserve to see the light of day including bills to require comprehensive background checks, help establish extreme-risk laws, prohibit the purchase of high-capacity magazines and eliminate loopholes that allow prohibited individuals [to acquire] guns.""This loss cannot be in vain," tweeted the California congresswoman Jackie Speier early Monday.Speier is looking to close the gap, as one of 190 members of the House who co-sponsored a bill that would ban the import, sale, manufacturing or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices on the federal level.> I worked to pass the state law banning assault weapons in the 90's. We need to buy back the ones still in people's possession & throw the book at those who defy the law! We must also pass H.R. 1296, the Assault Weapons Ban, to ban military-style assault weapons across the U.S.> > — Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) July 29, 2019The California representative Eric Swalwell, who campaigned briefly for the Democratic 2020 presidential nomination and was the only one of two dozen candidates to focus his platform primarily on stronger gun control, was another one of the bill's co-sponsors.> My heart breaks for all of our Bay Area neighbors who attended the GilroyGarlicFestival. We need gun reform and we need it now. EnoughIsEnough> > — Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) July 29, 2019Senator Kamala Harris, who represents California, has called for a renewal of a federal assault weapons ban as well. She has stated that should she be elected, she will give Congress 100 days to take legislative action on gun violence, and if lawmakers cannot reach a consensus, she will take executive action.> Simply horrific. I'm grateful to the first responders who are on the scene in Gilroy, and my thoughts are with that community tonight. Our country has a gun violence epidemic that we cannot tolerate. https://t.co/WqWNxGAQnA> > — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 29, 2019The gun laws differ so vastly from state to state that a small California city located near the Nevada and Arizona borders voted this month to ask state legislators to allow gun owners from other states to carry registered firearms in the town.> Our thoughts are with the families of those lost last night in Gilroy, CA, as well as the survivors facing a tough road ahead. But thoughts are not enough — action must be taken to EndGunViolence. Every day the Senate refuses to act is a stain on the conscience of our nation.> > — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 29, 2019
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| India Almost Sank Its Own $2.9 Billion Submarine by Leaving a Hatch Open Posted: 30 Jul 2019 11:00 PM PDT  Water "rushed in as a hatch on the rear side was left open by mistake while [the Arihant] was at harbor" in February 2017, shortly after the submarine's launch, The Hindu reports. The modern submarine is not a simple machine. A loss of propulsion, unexpected flooding, or trouble with reactors or weapons can doom a sub crew to a watery grave.Also, it's a good idea to, like, close the hatches before you dive.(This article originally appeared at Task & Purpose. Follow Task & Purpose on Twitter. This article first appeared in 2018.)Call it a lesson learned for the Indian navy, which managed to put the country's first nuclear-missile submarine, the $2.9 billion INS Arihant, out of commission in the most boneheaded way possible.The Hindu reported yesterday that the Arihant has been out of commission since suffering "major damage" some 10 months ago, due to what a navy source characterized as a "human error" — to wit: allowing water to flood to sub's propulsion compartment after failing to secure one of the vessel's external hatches.
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| A retired British couple has been charged with drug smuggling more than 6 months after cops found more than $1.2 million worth of cocaine hidden in their suitcases on a cruise ship Posted: 30 Jul 2019 08:53 AM PDT  Roger and Susan Clarke, 72 and 71, were arrested after their cruise ship docked in Lisbon, Portugal, in December, after a trip to St. Lucia.
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| How to Tell If a Trump Supporter Is Racist Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:30 AM PDT  Every non-liberal leftist -- that is, nearly every Democrat running for president, New York Times and Washington Post columnist, CNN and MSNBC host, and your left-wing brother-in-law -- labels every Trump supporter and, of course, President Donald Trump, a "racist."And they don't stop there. Leftists don't only label the half of the country that supports the president "racist," they label all whites and America itself "racist." If your son or daughter attends or recently attended an American university, it is close to certain he or she was repeatedly told that America and all whites are racist. According to the Left, whites are divided between those who admit they are racist and those who don't admit it.Every conservative and many liberals know this is a big lie. The great question is: Do leftists believe it? It is impossible to know. But this we do know: If you repeat something often enough, and if your weltanschauung (worldview) and that which gives your life meaning are dependent upon believing something, you will eventually believe it.So here is a way to show it is a lie.Ask any white conservative, including one who supports Trump, the following three questions:1) Do you have more in common with, and are you personally more comfortable in the company of, a white leftist or a black conservative?2) Would you rather have nine white leftists or nine black conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court?3) Would you rather your child marry a black Christian conservative or a white non-Christian liberal?A white racist would prefer the whites in each case.I have asked these questions of thousands of Trump supporters at lectures and on my radio show. Not once has a white Trump-supporting conservative said he or she would be more comfortable in the presence of a white leftist than a black conservative, or would prefer an all-white liberal Supreme Court to an all-black conservative Supreme Court. Not once has a white Christian conservative said he or she would prefer their child marry a white non-Christian liberal to a black Christian conservative.If you're an honest leftist, this should present a powerful challenge to your belief that all white conservatives are racist.But it won't. Leftists have too much at stake to confront the truth about conservatives. Everything the Left has ever believed has depended upon lying about opponents. From the day Stalin labeled Trotsky -- who served as the head of the Red Army and who, along with Lenin, founded the Bolshevik Party -- a "fascist," leftists have lied about their opponents.Some liberals lie, and some conservatives lie, but the truth is both a liberal and conservative value. It has never been a left-wing value. Any leftist who would commit himself to the truth would cease being a leftist. He would either become an anti-Left liberal or an anti-Left conservative."America is racist." "Whites are racist." "Trump supporters are racist." These are all big lies.So, then, given how important it is to leftists to maintain the lie of conservative racism -- along with xenophobia, misogyny, transphobia, and Islamophobia -- how would they rebut conservatives' answers to these questions?Presumably, they would argue that every conservative who responds to these questions as I described is lying.But these questions are important -- no matter how much leftists ignore or dismiss them -- because they perform an important service for conservatives.I know this from Jewish history. There was so much Jew-hatred in the medieval Christian world that Jews sometimes wondered if there was any truth to the attacks on them. When a whole society denigrates a group, members of the denigrated group start wondering whether any of the attacks on them have any truth. But when the charge of blood libel -- that Jews killed Christian children to use their blood to bake matzos for Passover -- arose, it liberated Jews from taking any of the anti-Semites' attacks seriously. Every Jew knew the blood libel was a lie -- Jews never consumed animal blood, let alone human blood.Every conservative knows his responses to these three questions are heartfelt and true, so these questions can help conservatives come to see the Left's charge of conservative racism as medieval Jews came to see the anti-Semites' blood-libel charge: as a lie.© 2019 Creators.com
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| See Photos of the New Pagani Huayra BC Roadster Posted: 31 Jul 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| Can Someone Please Vote CNN Off the Stage? Posted: 30 Jul 2019 09:49 PM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Ten of the Democrats debated on Tuesday night. But the debate was dominated by Jake Tapper, Dana Bash and Don Lemon – CNN's moderators. Norm Ornstein got it right:It's not just that the time allocations were harsh. (The candidates were constantly being cut off, sometimes after being given all of 15 seconds to make their points.) And not just that the time allocation seemed somewhat arbitrary. No, it was the questioning that really fell short – very, very short. The CNN moderators, again and again, employed the very worst types of questions. One style that Tapper used repeatedly early on was interrupting to insist that the candidates stick to a portion of a topic that he found interesting (such as whether their health care plans would involve increases in taxes for the middle class) rather than what they wanted to talk about. The night also featured too many gotcha questions, in which a candidate is challenged about something they said.(1) But even worse was a constant theme of asking one candidate to fight with another. Candidate X, what do you think of Candidate Y's plan? Those questions have superficial appeal because they appear to get to what separates the candidates. And they promise fireworks, with candidates forced to argue. But in reality, invitation-to-fight questions tend to emphasize the differences that the moderators select, which may or may not be substantively important ones. It leads the debate to focus on areas of internal candidate differences, leaving policy areas where they agree irrelevant – even if those areas are important, and contain real disputes with the other party. So for example late in the debate we had an extended exchange on nuclear no-first-use. Is that an important policy? Sure. Is it the most important thing to talk about in national security and foreign policy right now? I don't think many experts would say so. It also created a frame of moderates squaring off against Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren that worked well for the candidates running as self-professed moderates, especially John Delaney, and much less well for the candidates who straddle that divide (and, one might argue, therefore are best positioned to unify the party): Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg and Beto O'Rourke. Buttigieg and perhaps to a lesser extent Klobuchar got in a few good lines anyway, but the debate was stacked against them by the way the moderators thought about the candidates.What's more to the point is that the framing wasn't very good for the party as a whole. It pushed both the moderates and the more progressive candidates away from the center of the party, because they were all cast that way. All of that raises the question of how much longer parties will go along with it.Once upon a time, in the 1970s and 1980s especially, presidential nomination debates were fully decentralized: Some organization (usually from the news media, including local news media, but sometimes other groups) would invite candidates to debate, and if enough of them accepted, the debate was on. They weren't necessarily televised nationally, and the sponsor would decide who to invite, what rules to use, and everything else – with the main constraint only whether candidates were willing to show up for whatever conditions were set. We still have plenty of group forums or town halls or whatever that work that way.Over the last four or five cycles, however, the parties have been taking over. This year the Democratic Party has decided a lot of the whens, wheres, hows and whos. After Tuesday night's event, I have to believe that there are plenty of people at the Democratic National Committee – and plenty of candidates and their staff – who are fed up with debates that put the TV stars first. I wouldn't be surprised, especially if things go badly over the rest of the cycle, if both parties start thinking seriously about running their own shows in 2024. Now, there would be plenty of pitfalls, just as there have been when the parties took over the scheduling and the invitations. It's certainly possible the parties, if they did take over the debates, might come to regret it. But could they? Yup. Sure, the networks want to promote their own talent by having them moderate, but the events would still be excellent for them even without that, and the parties could still arrange some sort of limited MC role for network anchors. And while party-sponsored debates would presumably stick to topics that the party wants to talk about, I'm not sure – especially after watching what CNN just did – that voters would be worse off. So I don't know who won tonight's debate, but I'm pretty sure that CNN, and perhaps in the future the media in general, were the losers.(1) Gotcha questions may have their place in interviews, although even there they tend to substitute for substance, but they're almost always a mistake in debates, where the candidates have each other to keep them honest.To contact the author of this story: Jonathan Bernstein at jbernstein62@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Philip Gray at philipgray@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He taught political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University and wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UK warship commander says Iran trying 'to test' Britain in Gulf Posted: 31 Jul 2019 02:13 AM PDT  The commander of a British warship accompanying UK-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with Iran said Wednesday that Tehran appeared to be testing the Royal Navy's resolve. William King, commander of HMS Montrose, said during 27 days patrolling the flashpoint entrance to the Gulf he had had 85 "interactions with Iranian forces", which had often led to "an exchange of warnings" over radio. Montrose, on a three-year deployment in the region since April based at a British naval hub opened in Bahrain last year, began the escorts through the world's busiest oil shipping lane earlier this month.
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| Tim Ryan: Democrats will 'lose 48 states' on a 'Medicare for All' platform Posted: 31 Jul 2019 08:20 AM PDT  Ryan called the "Medicare for All" proposals a "potential disaster" for the party.
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| Dubai ruler’s wife seeks 'forced marriage protection order' in English court Posted: 30 Jul 2019 07:28 AM PDT  The wife of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum has applied for a "forced marriage protection order" in England's High Court in relation to one of her two children. Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, the 45-year-old Jordanian daughter of late King Hussein and half-sister to King Abdullah, also applied for a "non-molestation order," which protects from harassment or threats. At the High Court of England and Wales, she also applied for wardship, which means a child is placed in the hands of the court for major decisions.
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| Andrew Yang's campaign blasted the DNC for not allowing him to use 2 polls from same source for fall Democratic debates Posted: 30 Jul 2019 01:38 PM PDT  The Yang campaign was unhappy the DNC only let them use either an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll or an NBC/SurveyMonkey poll but not both.
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| Jeffrey Epstein served with fresh court documents alleging rape of 15-year-old girl Posted: 30 Jul 2019 01:07 PM PDT  Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein found out he was facing further legal peril last week, the day before he was found unconscious in his cell with neck injuries. Epstein, 66, was presented with court documents relating to accusations made by Jennifer Araoz, who claimed he raped her when she was 15. Miss Araoz, now 32, made her accusations on July 10 – shortly after Epstein was arrested by police on charges filed by New York prosecutors. She claimed that, in the autumn of 2002, when she had been visiting his New York home for a year, he raped her after she gave him a massage. Last week, on July 22, Qin Zhang, deputy sheriff, handed Epstein the documents in his cell in the Manhattan Correctional Center, where he is awaiting trial. Jeffrey Epstein awaiting his bail decision on July 15. The judge ultimately denied bail. Miss Araoz's documents sought to depose Epstein, to learn the identity of the young woman who allegedly recruited her outside the Talent Unlimited High School and took part in his "grooming" of her "to be sexually assaulted by Epstein." Miss Araoz has described the woman as a brunette in her 20s. Daniel Kaiser, Miss Araoz's lawyer, said that Epstein or his lawyer will have to appear before a judge on August 27, to fight her wish to have him deposed and produce all evidence. Miss Araoz plans to sue both Epstein and the recruiter, Mr Kaiser said, but has to wait until August 14 under terms of the state Child Victims Act. The law, which Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York state, signed in February, lifted a statute of limitations that barred victims of childhood sexual abuse from suing their attackers more than three years after turning 18. The new law allows for criminal charges against sexual abusers of children to be filed until their victims turn 28 for felony cases. Jeffrey Epstein, 66, is facing up to 45 years in prison on charges of sex trafficking of minors It also allows for civil charges to be brought against their abusers - and institutions that enabled them - until they turn 55. Finally, it enacted a one-year, one-off period of grace, allowing all victims to seek civil action, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred. That period begins on August 14. The day after the court papers were served, Epstein - who's being held without bail on conspiracy and child sex trafficking charges - was found nearly unconscious on the floor of his cell, law enforcement sources have said. Based on the appearance of the marks on his neck, investigators suspect he was choked by someone else, The New York Post reported, and they questioned his cellmate, a former policeman awaiting a death penalty trial in four drug-related killings.
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| Trump dismisses Baltimore backlash: 'I am the least racist person anywhere in the world' Posted: 30 Jul 2019 08:23 AM PDT  President Trump on Tuesday tried to defend his most recent attack on a lawmaker of color, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and Baltimore, claiming the city's African-American residents "really appreciate what I'm doing."
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| Ilhan Omar hits back at Rand Paul with retweet mocking assault on senator Posted: 30 Jul 2019 10:25 AM PDT  After Sen. Rand Paul offers to buy Rep. Ilhan Omar a ticket to Somalia so she can 'appreciate America more,' the Democrat congresswoman responds with a retweet mocking the violent assault on the Republican senator by a neighbor in 2017.
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| Canada police shift manhunt for teen slaying suspects Posted: 30 Jul 2019 04:18 PM PDT  Canadian police said Tuesday they have pulled out of a remote northern town after an intensive search turned up no sign of two fugitive teenagers suspected of killing three people — a college professor, a North Carolina woman and her Australian boyfriend. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police used dogs and drones, helicopters, boats and even a military Hercules aircraft to scour the area around York Landing, Manitoba, but were unable to confirm a possible sighting of the two men reported by members of a neighborhood watch group. Nineteen-year-old McLeod and 18-year-old Schmegelsky have been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Leonard Dyck, a University of British Columbia professor whose body was found last week in British Columbia.
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| Ukraine seizes Russian tanker over naval clash: prosecutor Posted: 30 Jul 2019 01:52 PM PDT  A Ukrainian court has ordered the seizure of a Russian tanker stopped last week over its alleged involvement in a Ukrainian-Russian naval clash last year, the country's chief military prosecutor said Tuesday. A court, in the southern city of Odessa, ordered the seizure of the tanker Nika Spirit on Monday, according to documents posted by Anatoliy Matios on social media. The Russian owner of the seized tanker, the Altomar Shipping company, told Russian news agency Interfax that its management was "in contact with Ukrainian authorities" to solve a "range of issues related to the vessel".
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| Gensler's Temporary Structure for Notre-Dame Has Just Been Unveiled Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:13 PM PDT  The Pavillon Notre-Dame, which could be situated next to the historic church, allows visitors a temporary place for worship and reflection
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| Guatemalan villagers recognize viral photo of mother pleading at U.S. border Posted: 30 Jul 2019 01:13 PM PDT  Lolinda Amaya cried last week when she saw a viral photograph of a Guatemalan mother imploring Mexico's National Guard to let her enter the United States. It was her niece, Ledy Perez, who had borrowed money weeks earlier and fled her village under cover of night, seeking a better life for her only child. The widely shared photo https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/guatemalan-mother-begs-soldier-to-let-her-enter-us showed her crouched meters away from Mexico's border with the United States, clinging to her young son Anthony Diaz as she looked up at an armed member of the newly formed Mexican military police force.
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| Gunman in 4 Wisconsin deaths may have imitated abduction of Jayme Closs Posted: 31 Jul 2019 08:40 AM PDT  Ritchie German Jr., 33, killed his mother, brother and nephew and later killed a 24-year-old woman at another home before killing himself, police say.
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| Beto Slams Warren’s ‘Mistaken’ Call to Decriminalize Border Crossings Posted: 31 Jul 2019 07:55 AM PDT  Beto O'Rourke criticized Senator Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday for suggesting that decriminalizing illegal border crossings is the most effective way to end family separations at the border.During the second round of Democratic primary debates Tuesday evening, Warren reiterated her support for eliminating the criminal statute prohibiting illegal entry into the country, which would ensure that only migrants who commit other, ostensibly more serious crimes can be detained.Asked about Warren's position during a Wednesday appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe, O'Rourke argued that the family separations that occurred at the border under the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" enforcement policy can be prevented without fundamentally altering immigration law."I tried to correct the record, but wasn't recognized to do this: Senator Warren mistakenly said that Donald Trump is using the criminal code to separate families and to cage kids and to visit this cruelty and inhumanity on our fellow human beings, and that's just not right," O'Rourke said."You can use the civil code, the criminal code, or you could just look to one of the cruelest, most inhumane presidents that we've ever had. That's the problem that we have right now. It's not an immigration law that's been on the books for decades," he added.The former Texas congressman was one of just three Democratic primary candidates to demure when asked during the first round of debates whether they would support Representative Julian Castro's proposal to make illegal border crossing a civil, rather than a criminal, offense.O'Rourke, who grew up near the southern border in El Paso, Texas, defended his opposition to Castro's proposal by pointing out that section 1325 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, which makes crossing the border a criminal offense, is primarily being used to detain people who are suspected of human or drug trafficking. In fact, only roughly ten percent of people caught crossing the border illegally this year were prosecuted under section 1325.
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| Chicago shooting deaths: Outcry as anti-gun violence mothers shot dead while campaigning Posted: 30 Jul 2019 04:26 PM PDT  Two women who campaigned against Chicago's infamous gun violence, have themselves been shot and killed on a street corner where activists frequently stood to keep watch.The anti-gun violence group Mothers Against Senseless Killings (MASK), confirmed Chantell Grant and Andrea Stoudemire were killed after a blue SUV pulled up to the corner, and someone in the vehicle opened fired into the crowd."People are tired of being afraid. We're sick of being afraid. We live in these communities and then we somehow are penalised and punished for living here. If you're poor, you're poor," said MASK founder Tamar Manasseh."But when women are killed, it's not their fault. It's not because they made bad decisions. It's not they're in the wrong place at the wrong time."Police said the two women were killed on Friday night in South Side neighbourhood of Englewood, where members of the group often stood watch.Mr Grant, 26, was mother to three young children. Ms Stoudemire, 35, had two children. They were among a total of 48 people shot in the city over the weekend, eight of them fatally.Chicago has a reputation for some of the deadliest and most persistent gun violence in the country, though it is not evenly distributed.Most occurs in the South Side, which has had a large African American population and which has long suffered from poverty, partly the result of hosing laws that long discriminated against minority communities.MASK was founded in 2015 and works to "interrupt violence and crime, and teach children to grow up as friends rather than enemies".NNC News said there have been more than 1,190 shooting incidents in the city so far this year, and almost 1,530 shooting victims, according to police.Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi called the murders "senseless". He added: "We have no evidence to suggest the women were the intended targets."
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| 500 Beers of Summer Posted: 30 Jul 2019 09:00 AM PDT |
| Why the U.S. Marines Might Totally Hate Their New Sniper Rifle Posted: 30 Jul 2019 12:33 AM PDT  "The M110A1 was never intended to replace the M40A6, but to replace the M110," Hamby told Task & Purpose. "The bolt action M40A6 has a different purpose from the semi-automatic M110A1, which is used for rapid engagement … The M40A6 remains a program of record for the Marine Corps."The Marine Corps is throwing down cash to test-drive the same compact sniper rifle the Army has pursued in recent months. But while its 7.62mm rounds pack the punch required by scout snipers facing increasingly protected enemies downrange, its effective range falls well short of the sniper systems used by both foreign militaries and militants — a limitation that makes it unclear just what the Corps could do with this new weapon.(This first appeared last year.)The Army's proposed fiscal 2019 budget includes $46.2 million to field 5,180 M110A1 Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System (CSASS) rifles for infantry, scout, and engineer squads, with the goal of eventually buying as many as 8,711 of the lightweight 7.62mm arms. PEO Soldier told Task & Purpose in January 2018 that the Marine Corps also was "committed" to adopting the CSASS.And lo and behold: The Marine Corps' $40.8 billion proposed fiscal 2019 budget includes just under $1 million for the service to procure just 116 CSASS rifles. The Marines' line item says the CSASS, based on the Heckler & Koch G28E sniper rifle with a baffle-less OSS suppressor, could replace the venerable M110 with "enhanced shooter ergonomics and increased operational availability time" and "improve the sniper's ability to rapidly engage multiple, moving targets."
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| Police find body of Indian coffee shop chain owner in river Posted: 30 Jul 2019 11:36 PM PDT  Fishermen on Wednesday found the body of an Indian coffee shop chain owner in a river, two days after he disappeared, police said. The body of Cafe Coffee Day founder V.G.Siddhartha has been identified, police Commissioner Sandeep Patel said. Siddhartha, 60, had left Bangalore on Monday and left his car near a bridge in Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka state.
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| Hundreds of fossils of strange primordial predator unearthed in Canada Posted: 30 Jul 2019 04:15 PM PDT ![Hundreds of fossils of strange primordial predator unearthed in Canada]( "Hundreds of fossils of strange primordial predator unearthed in Canada") Hundreds of fossils of a primordial sea creature with rake-like claws and a head resembling a famous fictional spaceship have been unearthed in Canada, providing a wealth of information about an important predator from a key time in the evolution of life on Earth. Scientists on Tuesday said the creature, called Cambroraster falcatus, was a distant relative of today's arthropods - the diverse group of animals including insects, spiders and crabs - and lived during the Cambrian Period 506 million years ago, when all animal life lived in the oceans. "Most animals in the Cambrian Period were small, typically a few centimeters long at most.
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| Fireworks shot at Hong Kong protesters as US warns troops massing on China border Posted: 31 Jul 2019 04:17 AM PDT ![Fireworks shot at Hong Kong protesters as US warns troops massing on China border]( "Fireworks shot at Hong Kong protesters as US warns troops massing on China border") Police in Hong Kong say they are investigating a drive-by attack in which crowds of protesters were hit with fireworks. At least six people were injured late on Tuesday night when anonymous assailants shot fireworks from passing cars at a demonstration near a police station. The attacks are likely to sow further confusion amid the escalating crisis in Hong Kong, after protesters were targeted last week by a mob linked to triad gangs. Violent clashes ending in injuries and arrests are occurring nearly every day now in the former British colony as protesters angry with the government continue to go head-to-head with the police. Tuesday's attacks happened as protests broke out earlier in the evening after police announced that 44 people out of 49 arrested during demonstrations on Sunday night – when police fired near-continuous volleys of tear gas – would be charged with rioting, an offence punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Charges were read against 23 people on Wednesday, accused of setting up road blocks, breaking fences, damaging street signs, and attacking police officers with "lethal weapons," such as bricks, the police said in a statement. All were released on bail with sentencing scheduled for Sept. 25; a court date has not yet been announced for the remaining arrested individuals. Despite an onslaught of heavy rain as a typhoon neared, supporters assembled outside the court in the morning, chanting "Reclaim Hong Kong, the revolution of our time!" Rioting is the most serious charge brought by the authorities since mass demonstrations broke out early June, plunging Hong Kong into its worst political turmoil since the former British colony was returned to Beijing. It's likely to further enrage protesters, who first demanded the formal withdrawal of an extradition bill that would send suspects to face trial in mainland China, where Communist Party control of the courts contributes to a 99.9 per-cent conviction rate. Protesters have since expanded their demands to include the resignation of Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam, the convening of an independent commission to investigate police brutality against the protesters, and the release of those arrested – at least 170 people so far. Continuing unrest is fuelling concerns that China's central government in Beijing might deploy the military, which would be reminiscent of the 1989 bloody crackdown in Tiananmen Square. The US government is monitoring a congregation of Chinese forces along the border to Hong Kong, though the nature of the build-up isn't clear, reported Bloomberg, citing an anonymous White House official. China's ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday she wasn't aware of a situation on the border. The Chinese central government reiterated earlier this week that it supported Hong Kong's leader and police in cracking down to maintain order, and that Beijing would only send troops at the request of city officials. China has also accused Western nations of sowing discord in the city as a way to destabilise China. "If the turbulence continues, the whole of Hong Kong society will pay the cost," said Yang Guang, a spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs office, which reports to China's cabinet. The Hong Kong government estimates the PLA maintains a garrison of 8,000 to 10,000 troops in Hong Kong, along with a naval squadron and a helicopter regiment; more troops are stationed in neighbouring Shenzhen. Demonstrations are taking place nearly every day in Hong Kong, with rallies planned through late August.
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| A 33-year-old woman who used to work for Amazon is the suspect in the massive Capital One hack — meet Paige Thompson Posted: 30 Jul 2019 11:54 AM PDT  Thompson is accused of stealing data from millions of Capital One customers, including Social Security numbers and linked bank accounts.
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| Heeeere's Joe Biden: Today's Toon Posted: 30 Jul 2019 12:24 PM PDT  Want to keep up with USA TODAY's editorial cartoons? Bookmark this page. We'll update it frequently.
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| Voters grade 2020 Democrats on their performance during night one, round two of debates Posted: 31 Jul 2019 03:41 AM PDT  Pollster Lee Carter breaks down how voters feel about the candidates' performances during night one, round two of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary debates.
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| Black politicians boycott event marking 400 years of US democracy after ‘degrading’ Trump comments Posted: 29 Jul 2019 03:24 PM PDT  Black politicians are boycotting an event to mark the 400th anniversary of a milestone in America's democracy, over "degrading" racist comments made by Donald Trump.African American members of the Virginia state legislature, said they would not participate in the ceremony at the historic city of Jamestown because the president was due to attend and deliver remarks."The commemoration of the birth of this nation and its democracy will be tarnished unduly with the participation of the president, who continues to make degrading comments towards minority leaders, promulgate policies that harm marginalised communities, and use racist and xenophobic rhetoric," the group of politicians said in a statement.The decision to boycott Tuesday's event marking the 400th anniversary of the Virginia general assembly, which was formed in 1619 and established the basis for the system of representative democracy that exists in the US today, came after the president engaged in a series of racist and offensive comments targeting politicians of colour.Two weeks ago, he told four Democratic congresswomen to "go back home", sparking widespread outcry over his comments about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. The first three were born in the US, while Ms Omar came here as a refugee from Somalia two decades ago.Over the weekend, Mr Trump launched an angry attack, one many considered racist, against Democratic congressman Elijah Cummings, whose committee is investigating the Trump administration, including the conditions it operates at the US-Mexico border, and at detention facilities for children and other migrants."Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men & women of Border Patrol about conditions at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous. His district is considered the Worst in the USA," Mr Trump said on Twitter, claiming the congressman's Maryland district was rat-infested.On Monday, Mr Trump also attacked activist and politician Al Sharpton, who had denounced the president's remarks about Mr Cummings.While the Virginia politicians did not mention Mr Cummings specifically, they said the president's "repeated attacks on black legislators and comments about black communities makes him ill-suited to honour and commemorate such a monumental period in history".White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham claimed the Virginia black caucus was pushing "a political agenda"."President Trump passed criminal justice reform, developed opportunity zones securing record-setting investment in distressed communities, and pushed policies that created the lowest unemployment rates ever for African Americans, so it's a bit confusing and unfortunate that the VLBC would choose to push a political agenda instead of celebrate this milestone for our nation," she said.The politicians said they will also boycott the rest of a week long series of events marking the 400th anniversary and have instead planned alternative commemorations in Richmond, Virginia's capital.Additional reporting by Associated Press
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| 12 killed as flooding paralyses Pakistan's Karachi Posted: 30 Jul 2019 05:59 PM PDT  At least 12 people were killed as monsoon rains lashed Pakistan's port city of Karachi, officials and charity groups confirmed Wednesday, while flooding also triggered power outages and overwhelmed the metropolis's fragile infrastructure. Authorities said the deaths occurred largely due to electrocutions caused by ill-maintained power lines even as large segments of the city suffered hours-long outages that lasted up to a day in some areas. According to the Edhi Foundation -- which oversees a vast rescue services operation in Karachi -- up to 15 people were killed during the recent bout of flooding.
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| Army Soldiers Will Use Special M-2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle to Control Robots Posted: 30 Jul 2019 12:08 PM PDT  U.S. Army soldiers riding in a specially-modified M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle will control a platoon of ground robots during an upcoming exercise in Colorado.The planned 2020 test "moves beyond the basic 'robotic wingman' pursuits that have so far led how the mechanized community of the Army is getting at using semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles," Army Times reporter Todd South explained.Army officials intend for the month-long exercise at Fort Carson to gather data for the service's Ground Vehicle Systems Center. The soldiers in the exercise will operate the unmanned ground vehicles from inside upgraded Bradleys that the Army refers to as "Mission Enabler Technologies-Demonstrators."The upgrades include a remotely-operated turret for the vehicle's 25-millimeter gun, extra sensors for 360-degree awareness and new crew stations with touchscreens, according to an Army release.The Colorado war game will involve two of the special Bradley controlling a total of four UGVs, South reported.The U.S., British and Russian militaries, among others, quickly are moving to integrate armed robots into their ground forces.
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| Back-to-back hurricanes churn towards Hawaii Posted: 31 Jul 2019 02:48 AM PDT ![Back-to-back hurricanes churn towards Hawaii]( "Back-to-back hurricanes churn towards Hawaii") The closest to Hawaii was Hurricane Erick, which swelled from a tropical storm on Monday to a Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale. It was about 695 miles (1,115 km) from Hawaii's Big Island.
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| 11 Things We Can't Wait to Order from the New IKEA Catalog Posted: 30 Jul 2019 10:27 AM PDT |
| Bus hit by roadside bomb in Afghanistan, 32 killed Posted: 31 Jul 2019 09:13 AM PDT  A roadside bomb tore through a bus in western Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people, including children, a provincial official said. Mohibullah Mohib, spokesman for the police chief in Farah province, said the explosion also wounded 15 people. No one immediately claimed responsibility, but the Taliban operate in the region and frequently use roadside bombs to target government officials and security forces.
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| 'Pink Lady Bandit' and her accomplice arrested in Charlotte Posted: 29 Jul 2019 11:27 AM PDT  Circe Baez, 35, and Alexis Morales, 38, were arrested in connection with multiple bank robberies in three different states.
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| Suspect arrested after Russian Instagram influencer is found dead in a suitcase Posted: 30 Jul 2019 01:53 PM PDT  Russian police have arrested a suspect in the murder of a 24-year-old Instagram influencer found dead in a suitcase in her Moscow apartment. Ekaterina Karaglanova , who had recently graduated as a doctor, was known as @Katti_loves_life to her 86,000 followers on the image-sharing website. Her body was discovered by her landlord last week after he had been contacted by her alarmed parents, who had not been able to reach their daughter for several days. Stab wounds were evident on the body. Police said they were investigating jealousy as a possible motive in the killing as Karaglanova had recently started a new relationship. She was planning to celebrate her 25th birthday with a boyfriend in the Netherlands, according to Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. View this post on Instagram Какая же сегодня классная погода на улице! Хоть и прохладно, но уже чувствуется весна, впервые в этом году. Лично у меня на неё большие планы, среди которых и ремонт квартиры с нуля, и новые поездки, и ещё одно важное мероприятие под вопросом, о котором заранее не говорю ��. Также планирую продолжить осваивать косметологию �� и не забрасывать тренировки в зале. Нужно же в конце концов вернуть себе форму ( а для меня это по сложности примерно как ремонт ��). Как видите, планов не мало, так что ,весна, не подведи! ���� A post shared by Kati K. ����♀️ (@katti_loves_life) on Mar 7, 2019 at 7:00am PST Leaked CCTV footage captured an alleged former boyfriend of Karaglanova entering the apartment building in the days around her disappearance and leaving with a suitcase and dark gloves on. No weapon was reportedly found at the scene and police said there were no signs of a struggle in the apartment. On Instagram Karaglanova wrote about her numerous trips to Europe, lifestyle and cosmetics. Her profile says that she was studying dermatovenerology and was a resident at a Moscow medical school. Her last post was about a trip to the Grecian island of Corfu. In another post, under a photo of a bouquet of flowers, she wrote that she has been receiving such gifts from a secret admirer for several weeks. Some of her followers likened her appearance to actress Audrey Hepburn, whose photos she posted sometimes in her feed. Last year she participated in Miss Maxim beauty pageant.
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| Trump Rants Against Rat Infestation While His Properties Are Health Code Horror Shows Posted: 30 Jul 2019 09:21 AM PDT  Over the past few days, President Donald Trump has been on an extended Twitter tirade, going off on what he deems to be the rat infestation plaguing the city of Baltimore. But if anyone should know about the plague of vermin, it's Trump. The president's restaurants, resorts, and golf clubs have all been cited for extensive health-code violations, including the presence of rodents. Health inspectors have for years turned in stomach-churning reports of rats, mice, cockroaches, and other pests in the kitchens and food-preparation areas at Trump properties in New York, Florida, and Las Vegas. One infestation in the main kitchen of Trump's Doral golf club in 2015 was so bad that health inspectors recommended that the place be temporarily shut down.As late as last year, health inspectors in New York reported a likely rodent problem at the restaurant in the president's flagship Trump Tower property. The inspection turned up "evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas" and "conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist."Trump's Roach-Infested Restaurants Are Vile Compared to the Red HenIn 2017, inspectors found "filth flies" buzzing around the food in the Trump Tower kitchen. Employees, they found in a separate inspection the same year, sported "soiled" garments and were not wearing hair nets. The year before, inspectors found live roaches.Trump Tower's roach situation, though, paled in comparison to the infestation at Doral, where Florida authorities reported 524 health-code violations from 2013 to 2018, according to state health records and research compiled by the Democratic super PAC American Bridge.In 2015, they found "approximately 20-25 live roaches... on the walls, baseboards and floors in the kitchen food prep area and behind a utensil table inside a wall crack." They also reported between 20 and 30 "live, small flying insects... in the kitchen and dishwasher room."Inspectors recommended that the state issue an emergency order and temporarily shutter the Doral kitchen. It's not clear if it was ever actually shut down.Most of the issues were resolved in a followup inspection a few months later, and the recommendation was rescinded, though the restaurant was fined $800. But the following year, inspectors once again reported "over 40 small flies in coffee station."At the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas' steakhouse, which is branded with the president's initials, health inspectors also reported potential vermin problems. The restaurant, they reported after a 2012 inspection, did not have "effective pest control measures." Expired food, including yogurt and caviar, were also among the 51 health-code violations inspectors found during that visit.Trump's "Winter White House" at Mar-a-Lago hasn't had the pest problems of some of the president's other properties. But inspectors have cited its main clubhouse kitchen for 51 health-code violations since 2013, and its "beach club" kitchen for another 30. And while neither has failed a health inspection, authorities have reported some grimy findings, including employees who don't wash their hands and poultry stored at dangerously high temperatures.At Mar-a-Lago, at least, the Trump Organization appears to have cleaned up its act. Both the main kitchen and the beach club passed inspections with flying colors last year, with zero code violations between them.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Inmates behind Brazil deadly prison riot transferred: official Posted: 30 Jul 2019 11:54 AM PDT  Forty-six inmates involved in one of Brazil's deadliest prison riots were being transferred to other jails Tuesday, an official said. At least 57 people were killed on Monday when fighting broke out between rival drug gang factions in the Altamira Regional Recovery Centre in the northern state of Para. Sixteen were decapitated in the hours-long battle, but most died in a fire that engulfed part of the overcrowded facility that used converted shipping containers to house some of the inmates.
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| California Is Expanding Government Health Care to More Illegal Immigrants. Here’s What to Expect. Posted: 31 Jul 2019 03:02 AM PDT  Pipes explained that the weight of Medi-Cal costs—roughly $98 million at a minimum estimate—will fall on California taxpayers. California is now extending health care benefits to more state residents, including young adult illegal immigrants, as conservatives warn it could attract more illegal immigrants to the state and further burden a health care system without sufficient doctors. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, last month signed into law a measure (Assembly Bill 4) amending the eligibility portion of the state Medicaid program known as Medi-Cal. "Providing a new public benefit to a group of people in the nation illegally will incentivize more people to risk breaking U.S. immigration law to settle in California," Chuck DeVore, a former California assemblyman, said.The law states that "an individual who does not have satisfactory immigration status or is unable to establish satisfactory immigration status, as required by Section 14011.2, shall be eligible for the full scope of Medi-Cal benefits, if they are otherwise eligible for benefits under this chapter."
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| UPDATE 1-Italy and EU end latest standoff on African asylum seekers Posted: 31 Jul 2019 06:23 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Italy and EU end latest standoff on African asylum seekers]( "UPDATE 1-Italy and EU end latest standoff on African asylum seekers") The European Union ended a standoff with Italy over African immigration on Wednesday, agreeing to take 116 asylum-seekers rescued at sea last week but denied permission to go ashore by the country's right-wing interior minister. The EU said that Germany, France, Portugal, Luxembourg and Ireland had agreed to take the asylum-seekers, meeting a condition set by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini for allowing the group to come ashore. An additional group of those rescued by an Italian coastguard boat last week would be received in Italy with the support of the Catholic Church, it added.
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| Lyft driver fatally shot on 52nd wedding anniversary. He had just called his wife to celebrate Posted: 31 Jul 2019 09:24 AM PDT  Harold Treadwell, 71, was driving for Lyft around 12:30 a.m. Sunday when someone outside of the vehicle shot him, Phoenix police said.
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| This Ancient Roman Joke Pen From Thousands of Years Ago Was All About Thrifty Gifting Posted: 29 Jul 2019 11:36 AM PDT  A 2,000 year old stylus reveals that ancient Romans had a good sense of humor.
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| Fugitive Salvadoran ex-president given Nicaragua citizenship Posted: 30 Jul 2019 05:53 PM PDT  Nicaragua granted citizenship Tuesday to former Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes, who has been in the country under political asylum since 2016 and is wanted back home on allegations of illicit enrichment and embezzlement. The decision by President Daniel Ortega's government, which took legal effect with its publication in the official Gazette, also made Funes' wife and two sons citizens. The move would block current Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele from bringing Funes and his family before that country's justice system, as Nicaragua's constitution prohibits extradition of Nicaraguan nationals.
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| Three tourists found dead in frigid waters of Alaskan lake Posted: 30 Jul 2019 10:27 PM PDT ![Three tourists found dead in frigid waters of Alaskan lake]( "Three tourists found dead in frigid waters of Alaskan lake") Three tourists were found dead on Tuesday in a boating accident in the glacial waters of an Alaskan lake, famous for its spectacular views, police said. The victims, all in their 60s, appeared to have been paddling a single inflatable boat on Valdez Glacier Lake, about 120 miles east of Anchorage, police in Valdez said. The lake is known for its spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, and chunks of ice that have broken off from the Valdez Glacier float on its surface, according to tour guides.
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| Russia declares state of emergency as wildfires rage across area size of Belgium Posted: 30 Jul 2019 10:04 AM PDT  Russia on Monday declared a state of emergency in two regions of Siberia as wildfires rage across 12,000 square miles of countryside. Terrified residents in the Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk regions called on the state to act as flames engulfed an area the size of Belgium. There are few inhabited zones in the path of the inferno but smoke has blanketed major cities in Siberia and the Far East, making it hard to breathe and posing health risks for the population. Over 720,000 people have signed a petition on Change.Org calling for a state of emergency to be declared across the whole of Siberia in order to draw more forces and state funding to battle the wildfires that have erupted in the past month. Residents of the affected areas have been posting photos of burning forests and smog-covered cities and villages. Local authorities have however cited at 2015 decree by the Ministry of Natural Resources that allows them not to extinguish wildfires if they do not pose a direct threat to settlements. Fire-fighting can also be avoided if the cost of the operation is higher than the estimated damage. The governor of Krasnoyarsk, Alexander Uss, defended the government's reluctance to put out the fires by comparing them to winter blizzards. He said that it can be "pointless and sometimes even harmful" to try and extinguish flames in unpopulated areas. More than 11 million hectares have already been affected by wildfires this season, Greenpeace Russia said in a statement on Friday, adding that blazes continue to spread around hundreds of thousands of hectares every day. The environmental group warned that it was no longer a regional problem and more measures should be taken. It is not immediately clear if a state of emergency in some of the affected areas will help contain the wildfires. European scientists earlier raised concerns over unprecedented fires that started sooner than usual in the Arctic this summer season releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The fires have been caused by record high temperatures combined with lightning and strong winds.
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