| US fears Iran seized UAE-based tanker in Strait of Hormuz Posted: 17 Jul 2019 02:38 AM PDT  A small oil tanker from the United Arab Emirates traveling through the Strait of Hormuz entered Iranian waters and turned off its tracker three days ago, leading the U.S. to suspect Iran seized the vessel amid heightened tensions in the region. Iranian state media quoted its Foreign Ministry spokesman early Wednesday as saying the Islamic Republic had aided a foreign oil tanker with a malfunction, but the report didn't explain further. Oil tankers previously have been targeted in the wider region amid tensions between the U.S. and Iran over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.
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| MS-13 Members in Los Angeles Hacked Victims to Death With Machetes: Prosecutors Posted: 16 Jul 2019 11:57 AM PDT  OSCAR RIVERAMembers of the notorious MS-13 gang in Los Angeles have been charged in connection with the murders of seven people over the last two years—including the dismemberment of a rival gang member whose heart was cut out, federal authorities allege in a 12-count indictment unsealed Tuesday.A total of 22 people linked to the Fulton clique, a faction of the gang based in the San Fernando Valley, have been indicted by a grand jury on several charges, including racketeering and murder, for allegedly committing 200 criminal acts in several states over nine years. Of the over two dozen accused gang members, 20 of them have been charged with murder. While the MS-13 members and associates engaged in common gang behavior—such as narcotics sales, robberies, and extortion schemes—they also used "horrific violence" to control members and intimidate their rivals in Los Angeles, the indictment alleges. Air Force Major Charged With Murder After Missing Wife's Remains Found"We have now taken off the streets nearly two dozen people associated with the most violent arm of MS-13 in Los Angeles, where the gang is believed to have killed 24 people over the past two years," U.S. Attorney Nick Hann said in a press release announcing the charges. "The collaborative law enforcement effort solved several murder cases and dealt a severe blow to members of the gang who engaged in acts of brutality not seen in the region for over 20 years."The 12-count indictment, which is the culmination of a two-year, joint investigation with federal and local authorities, details seven killings, including four victims who were "hacked to death with machetes in the Angeles National Forest," prosecutors said.Formed in the mid-1980s in Los Angeles, MS-13—or Mara Salvatrucha—has a presence in at least 10 states, including New York, and several countries abroad. The epicenter of the transnational organization, prosecutors allege, is in the San Fernando Valley, where El Salvadoran MS-13 members joined with Fulton members to carry out the slayings detailed in the indictment, the court papers allege."MS-13 in Los Angeles was distinct from MS-13 cliques in other parts of the country, because in Los Angeles, MS-13 had to pay extortionate rent payments to the Mexican Mafia, to which MS-13 swore fealty," the indictment states.During a March 2017 murder detailed in the indictment, several MS-13 members allegedly targeted a "rival gang member," only identified as "J.S.," who "crossed out MS-13 graffiti." After abducting, choking, and driving J.S. to a remote location in the Angeles National Forest, six members fatally attacked him with a machete, the indictment says.The victim was then allegedly dismembered before one gang member "carved out J.S.'s heart," and threw his "body parts into a canyon." "The greatest tragedy in these cases is that these young victims likely left their homelands hopeful that in the United States they would find safety and prosperity," Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said on Tuesday. "Instead, these victims had the misfortune of crossing paths with violent gang members who preyed on the vulnerabilities of their immigrant experience."Washington Man Accused of Hurling Molotov Cocktails at ICE Detention Center Killed by PoliceA month later, another victim identified as "G.B." was hit "in back of the head with a pistol, before he was "repeatedly" hacked with a machete, the indictment states. Prosecutors allege some of the MS-13 members believed G.B. was an informant."Once MS-13 had evidence that someone cooperated with law enforcement, by reputation, word of mouth, or by receiving and reviewing law enforcement reports or videos of interviews, MS-13 would issue a 'green light' as to that person, which was an order that if any MS-13 member saw the person who was allegedly or actually cooperating with law enforcement, that person was to be killed on sight," the indictment states. To lure G.B. to the Angeles National Forest, one gang member allegedly "created a Facebook page with the photograph of a female juvenile."Prosecutors allege MS-13 members also used "baseball bats and knives" to murder at least four of the victims, including a man identified in the indictment as E.H. Non-gang members were also the victims of "extreme violence," including 34-year-old Bradley Hanaway, a homeless man who was fatally shot by three men in January in Whitsett Sports Park, the indictment states. "Let's go take out the trash," one MS-13 gang member said to two others on Facebook messenger before going to the North Hollywood park, according to the indictment. Last month, Los Angeles police arrested several MS-13 members as part of a broader investigation into a series of violent events in North Hollywood, including Hanaway's murder. On the Run From MS-13 With Nowhere to GoRead more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| Investigators 'discover mysterious 200lb load' on board MH370 after take-off Posted: 16 Jul 2019 09:55 AM PDT  Investigators looking into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have discovered a "mysterious 200lb load" added to the flight list after take-off, according to an engineer whose wife and two children were on board. Ghyslain Wattrelos said the cargo was revealed in a report on the passengers and baggage by French investigators. Mr Wattrelos, who believes the flight was deliberately downed, told Le Parisien newspaper: "It was also learned that a mysterious load of 89 kilos was added to the flight list after take-off. A container was also overloaded, without anyone knowing why. It may be incompetence or manipulation. Everything is possible. This will be part of the questions for the Malaysians." MH370 became one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries when it vanished with 239 people on board en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. French investigators who examined flight data at Boeing's headquarters in Seattle believe that the pilot was in control of the airliner "right up to the end". A modern mystery | Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Mr Wattrelos said the investigators told him the data "lends weight" to the theory that the pilot crashed into the sea in a murder-suicide, although they stressed that there was no proof. The investigators expect it to take up to a year to examine the data fully. However, some experts believe a hijack by a stowaway is a possibility and the mysterious load could lend credence to the theory. Tim Termini, an aviation security specialist, told Channel 5 earlier this month: "It's highly likely that a hijack took place and again, there's four options for the hijack. "One is the hijack of the aircraft through a crew member. The second is a hijack coming from a passenger. A third option, which is a fairly unusual one, would be a stowaway. And then of course the fourth option is an electrical takeover of the aircraft from a ground-based station." Mr Wattrelos, 54, who has led a campaign to find out what happened to the flight, acknowledged that "there is a risk that I may never learn the full truth." Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings.
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| An Air Force Pilot Tells Us What Flying a B-2 Stealth Bomber Is Like Posted: 16 Jul 2019 12:02 AM PDT  (Washington, D.C.) When B-2 stealth bombers attacked Serbia on the opening night of Operation Allied Force in 1999, destroyed Iraqi air defenses during 2003's "Shock and Awe" and eliminated the Libyan fighter force in 2011 -- the attacks were all guided by highly-specialized pilots trained in stealth attack tactics.Given the dangers of these kinds of missions, such as flying into heavy enemy ground fire from air defenses, confronting the prospect of air attacks and preparing for electronic warfare over hostile territory, B-2 pilots need to be ready."We prepare and train every single day in case we get called up tomorrow," Lt. Col. Nicola Polidor, Commander of Detachment 5 of the 29th Training Systems Squadron, told Warrior in an interview.While performing missions, B-2 pilots need to maintain the correct flight path, align with specific targeting intelligence and load and prepare weapons, all while manning a digital cockpit to control a wide range of additional variables at one time. Polidor, who trains future B-2 pilots at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, says Air Force pilot trainees have adjusted well to learning a seemingly overwhelming amount of new information."The biggest challenge for pilots is being able to manage flying for long periods of time at the same time as managing a communications suite and robust weapons package," Polidor said.Polidor is only the 10th female B-2 pilot in history.Training is broken down into an academic phase and a flight phase, with classroom training as the first step. Trainees, Polidor explained, typically spend about two months working on a simulator, before taking their first flight.
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| 17 seemingly suspicious cases of tourists getting sick, assaulted, and dying in the Dominican Republic since June 2018 Posted: 15 Jul 2019 11:51 AM PDT  At least 13 Americans have died in the Dominican Republic under suspicious circumstances since June 2018.
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| Australia calls on China to let Uighur mother and son leave Posted: 17 Jul 2019 02:31 AM PDT  Australia's government on Wednesday called on China to allow an Australian child and his Uighur mother to leave the country, days after co-signing a letter denouncing Beijing's treatment of the Muslim minority. China has rounded up an estimated one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking minorities into re-education camps in tightly controlled Xinjiang region, in the country's northwest. Sadam Abdusalam has campaigned for months for his Uighur wife, Nadila Wumaier, and their son Lutifeier, whom he has never met, to be allowed to come to Australia.
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| How Kim Jong Un Got Mercedes-Benz Pullman Limos Home to North Korea Posted: 16 Jul 2019 03:30 PM PDT  Researchers tracked the luxury cars all the way from the Netherlands, in apparent defiance of sanctions.
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| Taliban close Afghan health facilities run by Swedish group Posted: 17 Jul 2019 04:30 AM PDT  The Taliban forced a Swedish non-profit group to close 42 health facilities it runs in eastern Afghanistan, the organization said Wednesday, the latest attempt by the insurgents to show strength amid negotiations to end the country's nearly 18-year war. In Sweden, the group's director called the closures "an obvious violation of human rights and international humanitarian law" and demanded the facilities be allowed to reopen right away. The Taliban currently control nearly half of Afghanistan and are more powerful than at any time since the October 2001 U.S.-led invasion.
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| Iran says it came to help of disabled foreign oil tanker in the Gulf Posted: 16 Jul 2019 12:13 PM PDT ![Iran says it came to help of disabled foreign oil tanker in the Gulf]( "Iran says it came to help of disabled foreign oil tanker in the Gulf") Iranian navy vessels came to the assistance of a disabled foreign oil tanker in the Gulf that needed repairs, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying on Tuesday by the semi-official news agency ISNA. "(Spokesman) Abbas Mousavi said... that an international oil tanker was in trouble due to a technical fault in the Persian Gulf... After receiving a request for assistance, Iranian forces approached it and used a tugboat to pull it towards Iranian waters for the necessary repairs to be carried out," ISNA said. A CNN reporter tweeted earlier that U.S. intelligence increasingly believed that the UAE tanker MT Riah had been forced into Iranian waters by Iran's Revolutionary Guards naval forces.
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| Air Force Major Charged With Murder After Missing Wife’s Remains Found Posted: 15 Jul 2019 11:14 AM PDT  Bexar County Sheriff's OfficeA San Antonio Air Force Reserve major who reported his wife missing in March has been arrested and charged with murder, authorities said. Andre McDonald, 40, was charged with first-degree murder Sunday in the death of his wife, 29-year-old Andreen McDonald, on March 1. After three months of countless countywide searches, authorities found the businesswoman's body on a ranch east of Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis.McDonald is being held at Bexar County Jail on a $2 million bond, police confirmed to The Daily Beast. "Any ounce of understanding that we had for Andy is gone," her cousin, Cheryl Spencer, told KSAT during a Sunday vigil. "You do not have the right to do this to any human being. Andreen was far from perfect. She had her flaws, but you do not have the right to do this to anybody's child."Did Missing Texas Woman Andreen McDonald's 6-Year-Old Autistic Daughter Witness Her Murder?While many details of the March murder remain unknown, authorities believe the couple's 7-year-old daughter, who is autistic and nonverbal, may have seen the crime and subsequent cleanup. "At this point, I don't know how much the little girl knows," Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a press conference Saturday. "I'm still of the belief that the little girl witnessed at least some things with the death of her mom."Authorities say Andreen McDonald, the owner of Starlight Homes Assisted Living, was last seen with her daughter around 6:20 p.m. on February 28. According to an arrest warrant obtained by The Daily Beast, phone records indicate both McDonald and his wife were home the entire evening.The next day, deputies went to the couple's home to conduct a welfare check after the 29-year-old's mother and several friends said they had not heard from her since the previous evening. According to the arrest warrant, two of Andreen McDonald's friends told authorities that before her disappearance she had said that "if she ever went missing or was found dead, Andre had killed her." A Bexar County Sheriff spokesperson confirmed officers had been called to their home "numerous times" for domestic disturbances. According to public records, McDonald filed for divorce in February 2017 but later dismissed the petition. In their backyard, deputies "noticed a burn pile," where "it appeared something had recently been burned." All of Andreen McDonald's personal belongings were still in the house and her car was parked in the driveway.Cops: NYPD Officer Ordered Hit on Estranged Husband, Boyfriend's KidWhen McDonald arrived home, he told deputies his wife was being treated at a local hospital. Police quickly suspected he was lying.He "claimed he did not know where Andreen McDonald was," the warrant states, but "revealed he had an argument with his wife the night before and asked for an attorney."Authorities also found blood and hair on the bathroom's light switch, floor, and door handle—though initial DNA tests could not determine if the samples belonged to Andreen McDonald.Andre McDonald was first charged on March 3 with tampering with evidence after investigators discovered that he had purchased cans of gasoline, heavy duty trash bags, work gloves, a portable burn barrel, a shovel, and an ax around the time he reported his wife missing. The Air Force officer then tried to destroy the receipt and throw them away in the kitchen trash can, authorities allege."He went to great lengths to destroy that receipt. We were able to recover it but that's what led to the tampering with evidence charge," Salazar said. "So, I think a lot of his behavior up to this point, along with some of the evidence that I won't go too much into detail on, are what led to this charge."According to the arrest warrant, McDonald had "cuts and injuries" on his hands when he was arrested and gave conflicting accounts about how the wounds occurred.Inside another trash can, the warrant states, investigators found a blood-stained hammer and a man's sweater and jeans, which had the couple's blood on it. The daughter, who has not been publicly named, suggested to one family friend that her mother had been burned, according to court documents, and made comments about "Andre hurting Mommy." In one attempt to explain what she saw, the daughter took a doll, put it in a circle over rocks, and covered it with sticks before asking for "the fire." Wife Kills Husband, Admits It in a Bar BathroomSince his initial arrest, McDonald "has not once asked" about the ongoing search for his wife and has never tried to assist in the investigation, the warrant said. On July 11, a friend of the ranch's owner discovered Andreen McDonald's body while removing two cow skulls on the 50-acre property. According to the warrant, when authorities arrived they "noticed the human remains appeared to have been covered with wood and bones from a nearby deceased cow and set on fire." Melted plastic or synthetic material was also found among the remains. The Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the remains belonged to Andreen McDonald on Friday night using her dental records. The next day, McDonald was arrested at home and appeared "quiet" and "fully cooperative," Salazar said on Saturday."I actually enjoyed him being arrested," Andreen McDonald's cousin Cheryl Spencer said. "That was nice. I like that little public shaming."A Bexar County Sheriff spokesperson declined to provide a motive on Monday, but added that there is "substantial" evidence to prove McDonald killed his wife and disposed of her body. "The next step is to prepare this case to go to trial with the DA's office," the spokesperson said. "Our department is dedicated to getting justice for Andreen and her family."McDonald's attorney, John Convery, declined The Daily Beast's request for comment. Andreen McDonald's immediate family did not respond to multiple attempts for comment. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| European sites where US nuclear weapons held inadvertently revealed in Nato-linked document Posted: 16 Jul 2019 12:34 PM PDT  The European sites where America's nuclear weapons are stored has been inadvertently revealed in a document published by a Nato-linked body, according to Belgian media reports. The document written by for the Defense and Security Committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly made passing reference to the roughly 150 US nuclear weapons being stored in Europe. "These bombs are stored at six US and European bases - Kleine Brogel in Belgium, Büchel in Germany, Aviano and Ghedi-Torre in Italy, Volkel in The Netherlands, and Incirlik in Turkey," one line read, according to the Belgian newspaper De Morgen. The reference was reportedly contained in the original version of the document which was published in April but has since been removed in a final version which went out last week. The document, titled "A new era for nuclear deterrence? Modernisation, arms control and allied nuclear forces," was written by a Canadian senator. A Nato official told The Washington Post the document was not from Nato itself - it was published by the group's parliamentary assembly and added: "We do not comment on the details of Nato's nuclear posture." The presence of US nuclear weapons in Europe acted as a deterrent to the Soviet Union during the Cold War and also meant European countries would not need to develop their own versions. However for years the exact locations of the weapons have been a secret - though experts said their presence was widely known in the international community. The faux pas was picked up by the European press. Dutch broadcaster RTL News ran an article headlined: "Nato reveals the Netherlands's worst-kept secret." The reporting from De Morgen read: "Finally in black and white: There are American nuclear weapons in Belgium."
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| Afghanistan Isn't Worth Dying For Posted: 16 Jul 2019 10:13 AM PDT  Army Sgt. Maj. James Sartor was killed in action in Afghanistan's Faryab Province on Saturday. He was "only" the twelfth soldier to die there this year. That makes his death no less inexcusable, no less an unacceptable sacrifice for Washington's failed foreign policy.What do we tell Sartor's family? That he heroically "gave the last full measure" for the defense of our nation? In some conflicts in American history, that might have been true. But in Afghanistan, it is a trite and insulting bromide.This man, like the eleven that preceded him this year, sacrificed his life in an operation that provided no benefit to our country. America is not safer because of this supreme, excruciatingly painful sacrifice. The truth is that hardly any Americans pay any attention to our war in Afghanistan and fewer still genuinely care that another trooper has tragically been killed.Instead, the entire burden of the grief—the unquenchable, searing pain of loss—falls to a tiny number of family members and close friends of those who died. My blood boils in anger when I hear—as I have many times—some callously claim, "Hey man, nobody forced them to sign up. They volunteered and knew what they were getting themselves into." This implies that we service members forfeit the value of our life once we raise our right hand.
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| Ingraham: The Democrats' new AOC plus 3 agenda Posted: 16 Jul 2019 07:45 PM PDT  President Trump not afraid to take on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her 'squad,' Democrats rush to their defense.
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| At least 1 dead, 15 injured — including 3 firefighters — in California house explosion Posted: 16 Jul 2019 09:05 AM PDT  A California gas company reports one of its employees died in an explosion Monday afternoon in Murietta, California.
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| The Military Has a Warning for Anyone Interested In Raiding Area 51 In An Attempt To Free Aliens Posted: 16 Jul 2019 08:18 AM PDT  The U.S. Air Force has responded to the 1.3 million people who have signed on to raid Area 51 in search of aliens.
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| Fed's Powell doubles down on rate cut signal Posted: 16 Jul 2019 10:16 AM PDT  Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell added more weight to expectations the central bank will cut interest rates later this month, stressing Tuesday that the US inflation outlook is near historic lows. Economists and investors see it as a certainty that the Fed will lower the key borrowing rate at the policy meeting July 30-31, and Powell in recent statements has moved to solidify those predictions by pointing to some concerns about economic growth and persistent weak inflation. Central bankers have "raised concerns about a more prolonged shortfall in inflation below our 2 percent target," Powell said in a prepared speech at a Bank of France event.
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| Trump administration blasts WTO ruling on China Posted: 16 Jul 2019 01:34 PM PDT |
| Prehistoric city offers glimpse of ancient living near Jerusalem Posted: 16 Jul 2019 05:02 AM PDT ![Prehistoric city offers glimpse of ancient living near Jerusalem]( "Prehistoric city offers glimpse of ancient living near Jerusalem") The 9,000-year-old metropolis, uncovered during a survey before the construction of a new highway, is one of the biggest ever found, the Israel Antiquities Authority said on Tuesday. It covered dozens of acres near what is today the town of Motza, some five km (three miles) west of Jerusalem. "This is most probably the largest excavation of this time period in the Middle East, which will allow the research to advance leaps and bounds ahead of where we are today, just by the amount of material that we are able to save and preserve from this site," Lauren Davis, an archaeologist with Israel's antiquities authority, told Reuters.
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| Jeffrey Epstein Reveals His Fortune Includes $56 Million in Cash Posted: 15 Jul 2019 05:06 PM PDT  Jane Rosenberg/ReutersA summary of Jeffrey Epstein's assets made public on Monday shows he has $56 million in cash, with another $500 million divided between property and investments.The bare-bones accounting estimates his homes in the U.S. Virgin Islands, one of them on his private island, are worth $85 million.The financier also listed an $8.6 million Paris apartment, a $12 million Palm Beach estate, a $17 million New Mexico ranch, and his Manhattan mansion—which he says is worth $55 million but prosecutors say is worth $77 million.Epstein put $194 million under the heading of "hedge funds and private equity" and another $112 million under "equities." The only other category was unidentified "fixed income" at $14 million.Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro ranch in New Mexico.ReutersIt's not clear if the total of $559 million includes the "piles of cash" or diamonds that prosecutors say they found in a locked safe after they raided the Manhattan mansion—where Epstein allegedly abused underage girls.U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said in court Monday that the one-page summary, submitted as part of a request for bail, was insufficient for him to make a decision.Prosecutors argued in court and in filings that Epstein's "vast" fortune means he has the means to flee if he is released from a federal lockup to await trial.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| Anti-Semitism event at Justice Department turns into pro-Israel rally Posted: 15 Jul 2019 02:29 PM PDT  As the public grappled with President Trump's latest insulting tweetstorm, widely condemned as racist, the Department of Justice held a Monday event billed as a summit on combating anti-Semitism.
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| India Says Russia's Missiles Don't Work (And Wants to Buy Israeli Ones Instead) Posted: 16 Jul 2019 01:00 AM PDT  India is now looking to Israel, from whom it has purchased numerous weapons, such as the Heron drone and the Derby, a radar-guided, beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile with a range of 50 kilometers (31 miles).After losing one of its fighters to Pakistani jets armed with American-made missiles, India is not happy with its Russian-made missiles.In fact, it wants to replace its Russian air-to-air missiles with Israeli weapons, according to Indian news site NDTV."In two years from now, the Indian Air Force's frontline Sukhoi-30 fighters may be re-armed with Israeli Derby air-to-air missiles after the jet's Russian-made R-77 missiles were found wanting in air combat operations over the Line of Control on February 27 this year," NDTV said.During air battles along the Kashmir border on February 26 and 27, an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 was shot down, apparently by a U.S.-made AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) fired by one of Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) American-built F-16 fighters. India claims to have downed a Pakistani fighter – which Pakistan denies – but India was still embarrassed by the capture of its MiG-21 pilot, who was shown on Pakistani television and later returned.
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| Former tenant charged in killing of Louisiana civil rights activist Posted: 16 Jul 2019 12:29 PM PDT  Baton Rouge detectives arrested Ron Jermaine Bell in the killing of Sadie Roberts-Joseph, 75, whose body was found stuffed in the trunk of her car on Friday afternoon, Police Chief Murphy Paul told a news conference. The suspect was already in jail in East Baton Rouge Parish for failing to register as a sex offender when police linked him to the murder, said Sheriff Sid J. Gautreaux, III, at the same news conference. Roberts-Joseph's death was ruled a homicide by the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office on Monday.
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| Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe being transferred to psychiatric hospital raises hopes for release, husband says Posted: 17 Jul 2019 01:30 AM PDT  The husband of a British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran has said her transfer to a hospital psychiatric ward raises hopes of her being released. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 40, was arrested at Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport while travelling with their young daughter in April 2016 and sentenced to five years in prison after being accused of spying, a charge she vehemently denies. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe said she was transferred from Evin prison on Monday to the psychiatric ward of Iman Khomeini hospital, in Tehran, where she is being held under the control of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Mr Ratcliffe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the move could be a "prelude to her release". He said: "It's possible it's good news. It's possible it's a prelude to her release. It's also possible that it's a prelude to her getting treatment and all my fears are unfounded and she's getting treated and she's there for a while to get treatment and then will go back to prison. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been transferred to the mental ward of Iman Khomeini hospital in Tehran "But it's also possible that there's something else going on. One of the things that happened the last time she met the Revolutionary Guard, which was when she was on hunger strike, they were pressurising her to sign denouncements of the British Government and confess to various things. "So that's when I started getting worried - as yesterday carried on - is that are they isolating her again to squeeze her." Her father said he visited the hospital on Tuesday but was not allowed to see his daughter and that she has not been allowed to contact her family. When Mr Ratcliffe first found out his wife was being moved to the hospital, he told Today: "We were quite hopeful that it was good thing, so we started off quite euphoric. "Now it's transpired that she's under the control of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, it's worrying." Before being transferred, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe told relatives: "I was healthy and happy when I came to Iran to see my parents. Richard Ratcliffe outside the Iranian Embassy in London "Three and a bit years later and I am admitted to a mental health clinic. "Look at me now, I ended up in an asylum. It should be an embarrassment. "Prison is getting harder and harder for me. I hate being played in the middle of a political game. I just hate it." In a press release, the Free Nazanin Campaign said it is not known what treatment she is receiving or how long she is expected to remain in hospital. The transfer comes after Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe went on hunger strike for 15 days last month in protest at her "unfair imprisonment". Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her daughter Gabriella Mr Ratcliffe also did not eat for the period in solidarity with his wife as he camped on the pavement outside the Iranian Embassy in London. The couple's five-year-old daughter Gabriella has stayed in Iran with her grandparents since her mother's arrest. Mr Ratcliffe said: "Nazanin hoped that her hunger strike would move the Iranian authorities, and it clearly has. "Hopefully her transfer to hospital means that she is getting treatment and care, despite my distrust of just what pressures can happen behind closed doors. It is unnerving when we don't know what is going on. "I am glad her dad has been down there to keep vigil outside. "Mental hospital has its worries at the best of times - but particularly when kept isolated and under the control of the Revolutionary Guard. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe timeline "Even now it still seems like games of power and control are being played by the Iranian authorities - even at the point of hospitalisation. "We hope again this is the beginning of the end. And yet, we were also here last summer. "We will be following up with the new prime minister whenever that is decided to ensure he takes personal responsibility for Nazanin's case." Earlier this year, Foreign Secretary and Tory leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt granted Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe diplomatic protection in a bid to resolve her case.
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| New York businesswoman and Jamaican immigrant Scherie Murray launches campaign to unseat Ocasio-Cortez Posted: 17 Jul 2019 07:47 AM PDT  "There's a crisis in Queens and it's called AOC," said Scherie Murray, a Republican businesswoman who is challenging Ocasio-Cortez in 2020.
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| Over-the-Top Ice Cream Sandwich Recipes That Are Worth Every Calorie Posted: 16 Jul 2019 03:07 PM PDT |
| Brazil Police Shut Down a Factory Making Fake Ferraris and 'Shamborghinis' Posted: 17 Jul 2019 06:44 AM PDT  Brazilian police say they've shut down a clandestine factory that was producing fake Ferraris and sham Lamborghinis
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| All the best Prime Day deals on Apple Watch, iPad, and iPad Pro are still available today! Posted: 17 Jul 2019 05:40 AM PDT  Will wonders never cease? Someone over on Amazon forgot to flip the good old "Prime Day is over" switch on Apple products, because every single one of the best Apple device deals from Prime Day is still going strong right now. Pricing on Apple Watch Series 4 models starts at $349 instead of $399, current-generation iPads are $80 off at just $249, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro is $200 off at $579, and the 11-inch iPad Pro with 512GB of storage is a whopping $250 off! There's no telling when these deals will end, so definitely get in on the action while you still can! Apple Watch Series 4 * GPS * Over 30% larger display * Electrical and optical heart sensors * ECG app * Digital Crown with haptic feedback * 50% louder speaker * S4 SiP with faster 64-bit dual-core processor Apple iPad * 9.7-inch Retina display * A10 Fusion chip * Touch ID fingerprint sensor * 8MP back camera and 1.2MP FaceTime HD front camera * Two speaker audio * 802.11ac Wi-Fi * Up to 10 hours of battery life Apple iPad Pro (10.5-inch) * 10\. 5-Inch Retina Display with Promotion, true Tone, and wide Color * A10X Fusion chip * Touch ID Fingerprint Sensor * 12MP back camera, 7MP FaceTime HD Front camera * Four speaker Audio * 802\. 11AC Wi-Fi and LTE cellular data * Up to 10 hours of battery life Apple iPad Pro (11-inch) * 11-Inch edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display with Promotion, true Tone, and wide Color * A12X Bionic chip with Neural Engine * Face ID for secure authentication and Apple Pay * 12MP back camera, 7MP True Depth front camera * Four speaker Audio with wider Stereo sound * 802\. 11AC Wi-Fi and gigabit-class LTE cellular data * Up to 10 hours of battery life
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| O'Rourke's fundraising woes revive concerns about campaign Posted: 16 Jul 2019 10:11 AM PDT  Beto O'Rourke stormed into the presidential race arguing his experience growing up along the southern border and a relatively moderate approach to politics would distinguish him in a crowded field. Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has become a top-tier White House hopeful with an earnest, intellectual and largely moderate appeal. The other Texan in the race, former Obama housing secretary Julián Castro, has overshadowed O'Rourke on immigration issues, scolding him during last month's debate for not being willing to fully decriminalize crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
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| Big Guns: Army Prototypes Range-Doubling New Artillery Weapon to Outgun Russia Posted: 17 Jul 2019 12:02 AM PDT  The Army is building prototypes of a new artillery cannon that can more than double the range of existing weapons and vastly alter the strategic and tactical landscape shaping land war into the future.The Army program, called Extended Range Cannon Artillery, has been developing for several years; it is now entering a new phase through an Army deal with BAE Systems to build "Increment 1" prototypes."This prototype phase will address capability gaps in the Army's indirect fire systems and improve the rate and range of fire with the development of power distribution software and hardware integration solutions," a BAE Systems statement said.During testing thus far, the Army has successfully fired a 155mm artillery round 62 kilometers - marking a technical breakthrough in the realm of land-based weapons and progressing toward its stated goal of being able to outrange and outgun Russian and Chinese weapons.Currently, most land-fired artillery shot from an M777 Towed Howitzer or Self-Propelled Howitzer are able to pinpoint targets out to 30km - so hitting 62km dramatically changes Army offensive attack capability. As part of an effort to ensure the heavy M777 is sufficiently mobile, the Army completed a "mobility" demonstration of ERCA prototypes last year.
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| Italian, U.S. police make arrests as Mafia clan looks to regroup Posted: 17 Jul 2019 02:06 AM PDT ![Italian, U.S. police make arrests as Mafia clan looks to regroup]( "Italian, U.S. police make arrests as Mafia clan looks to regroup") Italian and U.S. police have launched a coordinated crackdown against major crime families who were looking to rebuild their Mafia powerbase in Sicily, Italian investigators said on Wednesday. More than 200 police, including officers from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have been carrying out 19 arrest warrants since dawn targeting the Inzerillo clan in Sicily's capital Palermo and the New York-based Gambino family. Sicily's organised crime group, known as 'Cosa Nostra' (Our Thing), has been in a state of flux since the death of the feared boss of bosses Salvatore "Toto" Riina, who died in prison in 2017 after spending almost a quarter of century behind bars.
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| Landlords Sue NYC Over New Rent Caps on a Million Apartments Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:13 PM PDT ![Landlords Sue NYC Over New Rent Caps on a Million Apartments]( "Landlords Sue NYC Over New Rent Caps on a Million Apartments") (Bloomberg) -- New York City's rent-stabilization law is under attack after a group of real-estate trade groups and landlords sued to overturn regulations that cover more than 1 million apartments.The decades-old law that limits rent increases violates the U.S. Constitution by placing an unfair burden on property owners, particularly those who own pre-1974 buildings with six or more units, according to the suit, filed Monday in federal court in Brooklyn.The state legislature, now under full Democratic control, adopted sweeping tenant protections in June that further cap rent increases and restrict landlords' ability to evict residents. The massive rewrite of the rent rules, which cover about 2.4 million residents, aimed to preserve affordable housing by eliminating tools landlords used to remove units from regulation. The package also abolished a "vacancy bonus" that allowed property owners to raise rents 20% when a tenant left.The plaintiffs say the update further eroded their rights and that the law's "irrationality and arbitrariness" and "web of restrictions override core rights of property owners."Read More: NYC Tenants Get a Rent-Law Blessing That Landlords See as CurseThe landlords claim the rules have morphed over the years so that they benefit too many higher earners, while renters who make less than $35,000 a year account for just 38% of rent-stabilized renters. The breakdown is about the same for unregulated apartments, the groups claim, suggesting the law isn't much different from the unregulated market.The trade groups claim that 22% of rent-stabilized tenants make more than $100,000 a year and that married couples without children are over-represented in rent-stabilized apartments despite being less likely to suffer rental hardship than couples with children.The city said the suit threatens ordinary New Yorkers."Dismantling rent stabilization would be a devastating blow to everyday New Yorkers who are working hard to call this great city home," Jane Meyer, the mayor's deputy press secretary, said in a statement. She said the city would review the suit and continue to "fight to protect affordability, prevent harassment and keep this a city for everyone."Supreme Court SnubTenants-rights groups argued the changes were needed to counter decades of abuse by some landlords and a shrinking supply of affordable housing. Tens of thousands of apartments have been removed from rent-stabilized status, sending rents higher as neighborhoods are gentrified. The effort won support from Governor Andrew Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, as well as New York City mayor and 2020 presidential candidate Bill de Blasio.The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the city's rent-stabilization system in 2012, turning away an appeal from landlords who said the city had violated their constitutional rights by limiting rents on three one-bedroom apartments in their Upper West Side brownstone. The state of New York defended the statute, citing previous Supreme Court decisions that judges "should not sit as super-legislatures reviewing matters of economic policy, but should ask only whether a legislature's policy judgments are rational."Among the plaintiffs is the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents 25,000 landlords. When the law was amended, the landlords said it would cause buildings to fall into disrepair because owners wouldn't be able to afford to maintain them.The case is Community Housing Improvement Program v. City of New York, 19-cv-4087, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn).(Updates with second paragraph under Supreme Court Snub)\--With assistance from Gerald Porter Jr..To contact the reporters on this story: Erik Larson in New York at elarson4@bloomberg.net;Henry Goldman in New York at hgoldman@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter JeffreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Wary US swimmers share waves with deadly sharks off Cape Cod Posted: 17 Jul 2019 01:14 AM PDT  At the entrance to Newcomb Hollow Beach, at the tip of the Cape Cod peninsula, the picture of a great white shark reminds swimmers that the US shores of the Atlantic must be shared with the ocean's most feared predator. The great whites swim to this region in the northeastern United States to hunt for one of their preferred foods -- seals. Since the Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed in 1972 the number of seals in Cape Cod has grown to more than 50,000.
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| Dogs deserve better than brutal VA research that wastes money better spent on veterans Posted: 16 Jul 2019 08:15 AM PDT  The VA has done these barbaric tests for decades with no discernible benefits in many years. It should stop hurting dogs and start helping veterans.
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| In crowded 2020 Democratic field, a clear top tier emerges Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:56 PM PDT  No votes have been cast in the Democratic presidential nominating contest, but the winnowing has begun. A distinct top tier of candidates is breaking away from the pack in early polling and fundraising, building distance between themselves and the rest of the bloated field. Although the first nominating contest in Iowa is still more than six months away, tighter qualifying standards for the fall debates and cash flow problems have prompted questions about how many campaigns will still be operational next year.
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| 'You must be stupid': Duterte says he won't be tried by international court Posted: 17 Jul 2019 01:34 AM PDT !['You must be stupid': Duterte says he won't be tried by international court]( "'You must be stupid': Duterte says he won't be tried by international court") Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared he will never be tried by an international court for mass killings in his war on drugs, and vowed no let up in a crackdown that he said he was winning and would see through "to the very end". In a television interview with a celebrity pastor, the firebrand leader said the Philippine justice system was working fine, so it would be "stupid" to imagine he would let an international court put him on trial.
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| The California hiker who was found after spending 4 days alone in the wilderness says she got lost after fleeing a man with a knife Posted: 16 Jul 2019 08:59 AM PDT  Sheryl Powell, 60, disappeared on Friday while on a camping trip with her husband. Search teams found her alive and well on Monday.
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| Chilling first-hand reports of migrant detention centers highlight smell of 'urine, feces,' overcrowded conditions Posted: 17 Jul 2019 06:49 AM PDT  Government officials and pediatricians who have toured border facilities give first-hand accounts of conditions. USA TODAY compiled their words.
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| ‘Sunny-day flooding’ is projected to put parts of the US underwater for at least 100 days per year. Here’s what the Gulf and East coasts should expect. Posted: 16 Jul 2019 06:04 AM PDT  Tidal flooding is becoming more frequent as sea levels rise. It's expected to get much worse, especially along the US' Gulf and East coasts.
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| US manufacturing sinks into recession amid trade wars Posted: 16 Jul 2019 11:35 AM PDT  US manufacturing sunk into recession in June after two consecutive quarters of declines amid President Donald Trump's bitter trade wars and a slowdown in China and other trading partners. The decline comes as the United States enters its 11th year of economic recovery and occurs despite Trump's constant pledges to restore America to manufacturing greatness -- even though services now drive three quarters of the US economy. Despite jumping in June, manufacturing fell by a 2.2 percent annual rate in the April-June period, and total industrial production lost 1.2 percent, in both cases the second consecutive quarterly decline, the Federal Reserve said Tuesday.
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| There’s a huge iPhone bug in the latest iOS 13 beta that you really need to know about Posted: 16 Jul 2019 07:35 AM PDT  The latest iOS 13 beta has a serious security bug that will allow access to your stored passwords by anyone with access to your device. For someone to get to your passwords, they need to know how the bug works, and they need to get their hands on your iPhone or iPad. The good news, however, is that this bug will almost certainly be fixed in the coming weeks, maybe as soon as the next iOS 13 beta release.As you'll see in the video at the end of this post, all you have to do is go to the Settings app of an iPhone and then tap on the Website & App Passwords menu inside the Passwords & Accounts section repeatedly until the passwords show up. Ignoring the Touch ID or Face ID authentication prompts that appear should prevent you from seeing the passwords. In the latest iOS 13 beta, however, that doesn't happen and access is granted.Apple will fix whatever is causing the bug soon since the company has been notified about the issue according to a Reddit thread. Even if the upcoming iOS 13 beta update doesn't deal with the matter, you can rest assured that the final release, due in mid-September, will not have this serious security issue.iOS 13 is currently on beta 3 (developers) and its equivalent beta 2 (public), but both releases offer the same set of features and they obviously both have the same bugs. Apple should release iOS 13 beta 4 soon, followed by the iOS 13 public beta 3 with more fixes and improvements.The iOS 13 beta rollout hasn't been as smooth as was the case with the iOS 12 beta last year. The current beta release delivers a far less stable experience, riddled with app crashes and performance issues. But beta releases aren't supposed to be as stable as the final product, and that's what testers sign up for. If you want to roll back your iPhone or iPad to iOS 12.3, that will continue to be possible until Apple releases the final version of iOS 13.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_rlN2IIbyM
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| Geraldo Rivera on Trump's controversial tweets: It pains me to watch Trump take the low road Posted: 15 Jul 2019 04:32 PM PDT  Trump embroiled in feud with progressive Democrats following tweet about congresswomen of color; reaction from Fox News correspondent-at-large Geraldo Rivera and Fox News contributor David Webb.
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| Odd Man Out: How the Independent Justin Amash Could Shake Up the 2020 Presidential Election Posted: 16 Jul 2019 10:24 AM PDT  Washington circles are abuzz with the suggestion that Justin Amash, the ex-Republican congressman from Michigan, may mount a third-party presidential campaign in 2020. In the few days since leaving the GOP, he's talked about "room for a third party" and refused to rule out running for president. But sources close to Amash and the Libertarian Party deny that a presidential run is in the works—although the door is still open. For the time being, the Libertarian-leaning representative is looking to build a fiscally conservative, pro-restraint coalition across party lines.Michigan representative Justin Amash has made waves in recent weeks with his challenges to the Republican establishment. He first suggested that President Donald Trump should be impeached, then he contested the president's authority to attack Iran without congressional approval, and finally left the party.Amash seemed to send mixed signals about his next move, telling CNN that he's planning to run for re-election to the House of Representatives, but confirming that he still "wouldn't rule anything like [a Libertarian presidential run] out."
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