| Jeffrey Epstein: Billionaire charged with sex trafficking and abusing girls as young as 14, unsealed indictment reveals Posted: 08 Jul 2019 06:56 AM PDT  Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein has been charged with sex trafficking of underage girls, with the financier facing allegations that he abused dozens of underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida.The indictment, unsealed in a Manhattan court room, charges Mr Epstein with two counts: sex trafficking and conspiracy.Mr Epstein is accused of seeking out minors, some as young as 14 years old, and paying them hundreds of dollars to engage in sex acts.The indictment also states that Mr Epstein allegedly paid would-be victims to recruit additional to ensure a "steady supply of new victims to exploit"."In this way, Epstein created a vast network of underage victims for him to sexually exploit in locations including New York and Palm Beach," the indictment alleges. Prosecutors say that between at least 2002 and 2005 Mr Epstein "sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls".According to the indictment Mr Epstein was allegedly aware that many of his victims were younger than 18 "because, in some instances, minor victims expressly told him their age".Mr Epstein is set to appear in court later today and his lawyers say he will plead not guilty to all charges. Prosecutors were likely to argue he is a flight risk and should remain in jail instead of being released on bail pending trial. The former hedge fund manager's friends have included President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew.Mr Trump told New York magazine in 2002 that Mr Epstein was a "terrific guy"."He's a lot of fun to be with," the president said at the time. "It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."Mr Epstein was arrested on Saturday at an airport near New York City after his private jet touched down from France. According to the newly-unsealed indictment, girls would be encouraged to give Mr Epstein nude or partially nude "massages" that would then escalate to "include one or more sex acts".Prosecutors allege that sometimes Mr Epstein would personally reach out to girls to schedule such encounters and at other times employees – one in Manhattan and two in Palm Beach – would be directed to do it.When Mr Epstein would travel by private jet from New York to Palm Beach, an employee or associate would "ensure that minor victims were available for encounters upon his arrival in Florida," according to the indictment.Federal authorities want Mr Epstein to forfeit his New York mansion as part of the case.The latest case comes more than a decade after the Miami US attorney's office abandoned a 50-page indictment alleging sexual abuse by Mr Epstein.In 2005 police opened an investigation in Palm Beach after it received reports that Mr Epstein had allegedly sexually abused minors in his mansion there. Mr Epstein denied wrongdoing. In a 2008 plea deal that the businessman struck with Mr Trump's current labour secretary – and then federal prosecutor - Alexander Acosta, Mr Epstein pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges. The deal meant he avoided possibly being charged with federal sex trafficking charges.After the deal, Mr Epstein served 13 months in jail where he had would be allowed to work in an office during the day.Several of Mr Epstein's accusers challenged this Florida deal in court, who say they were denied a chance to have their views heard, violating the federal Crime Victims' Rights Act.In February of this year, a US district judge in the state agreed, ruling that the plea agreement violated the law in that prosecutors should have informed the financiers accusers of the deal at the time.Democrats in the House of Representatives confronted Mr Acosta about his role in the deal earlier this year, during a hearing before the House Appropriations subcommittee on a routine budget matter.Mr Acosta argued that his office's efforts ensured that Epstein faced jail time and had to register as a sex offender."I understand the frustration," Mr Acosta told the subcommittee. "I think it's important to understand that he was going to get off with no jail time or restitution. It was the work of our office that resulted in him going to jail."Federal prosecutors filed court papers in the Florida case last month saying that Mr Epstein's 2008 deal, known as an NPA, must stand. "The past cannot be undone; the government committed itself to the NPA, and the parties have not disputed that Epstein complied with its provisions," prosecutors wrote in the filing. They acknowledged, however, that the failure to consult victims "fell short of the government's dedication to serve victims to the best of its ability" and that prosecutors "should have communicated with the victims in a straightforward and transparent way." Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report
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| Starbucks barista asks police officers to leave because customer 'did not feel safe,' police union claims Posted: 07 Jul 2019 08:11 AM PDT  The barista allegedly asked the officers to move out of the customer's line of sight or to leave.
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| Iran denies tanker detained by UK was headed to Syria Posted: 06 Jul 2019 05:09 PM PDT  Iran denied Sunday that an oil tanker detained by Britain in Gibraltar was carrying crude to Syria, which would put it in violation of EU sanctions. "The tanker was carrying Iran's oil... Contrary to what the British government claims, its destination was not Syria," said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a press conference in Tehran. "The port named in Syria does not even have the capacity for such a supertanker to dock.
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| Italian captain under investigation for rescuing 41 shipwrecked migrants Posted: 07 Jul 2019 05:45 AM PDT  A charity rescue vessel has been impounded and the captain is under investigation after he defied Italian authorities and brought 41 shipwrecked migrants into the Sicilian port of Lampedusa late on Saturday. It is the second boat in a week to challenge the far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini's determination to close Italian ports to migrants and Italy was facing renewed pressure from Germany to open its doors to asylum seekers. Mediterranea's Italian-flagged Alex was met by police on the quay and migrants were allowed to disembark in the latest setback for Mr Salvini's hardline immigration stance. "I do not authorise any landing for those who couldn't care less about Italian laws and who help the people smugglers," the populist deputy prime minister tweeted. On Sunday Mr Salvini accused the NGO of lying about the necessity to rescue the migrants saying that "their rubber dinghy had no problems". "I would like you to be in front of a rubber dinghy with 50 people with children, including several very small ones, and say 'There are no problems'," said Alessandra Sciurba, Mediterranea spokeswoman, told the media. "How can anyone be so cynical and cruel to make political propaganda?" After the migrants disembarked, customs police from the Guardia di Finanza searched the vessel and are expected to report to local prosecutors. The Italian capitain, Tommaso Stella, could face charges for aiding illegal immigration. "We are absolutely calm because we are convinced that we operated correctly," said Mediterranea head of mission and Italian MP, Erasmo Palazzotto. Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini gestures as he speaks Credit: Reuters Meanwhile Mr Salvini was facing renewed pressure from Germany as the country's interior minister, Horst Seehofer, called for Italy to reopen its ports to rescue vessels carrying migrants. "Absolutely not," was Mr Salvini's reply in a statement. "Instead we are asking the Merkel government to remove the German flag from ships that help traffickers and people smugglers and to repatriate their citizens who ignore Italian laws." German captain, Carola Rackete, was arrested and later released last week for defying authorities and docking the SeaWatch3 vessel with 4o migrants aboard in Lampedusa. She will return to court on Tuesday. Salvini last month issued a decree that could see fines of up to €50,000 imposed on the captain, owner and operator of a vessel "entering Italian territorial waters without authorisation". After the Alex reached port, Salvini said that he would raise the maximum fine to 1 million euros. The 'Alan Kurdi', a search-and-rescue ship run by the German NGO, Sea Watch, had also been engaged in a standoff with the Italian government and changed route. On Sunday it was heading to Malta with 65 migrants on board but the Maltese government has not yet decided whether it will allow the vessel to dock there. Pope Francis is due to hold a mass for migrants and refugees at St. Peter's Basilica on Monday to mark the sixth anniversary of his visit to Lampedusa. During his weekly audience at the Vatican on Sunday he called for the faithful to pray for the migrants killed and injured in last week's bombing of a detention centre in Libya. But most Italians appeart to support Mr Salvini's uncompromising approach. A poll published in the Italian daily, Corriere Della Sera, on Saturday showed 59 percent of Italians approved of Mr Salvini shutting Italy's ports to NGO vessels.
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| Duterte Won’t Let Up on Deadly Drug War Amid Calls for UN Probe Posted: 06 Jul 2019 07:44 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte pledged to continue his war against drugs in his final three years in office despite international calls for a probe into the rising death toll."Do not destroy my country for the three years that I am still here," Duterte said in a speech in Leyte, central Philippines, on Friday. "Do not produce drugs for our children to eat and go crazy. I will really kill you."Since taking office in 2016, Duterte has waged a campaign against drugs that has killed thousands and been condemned by human rights advocates. Philippine police place drug-related killings at 6,600 during his presidency, a quarter of the 27,000 estimated by rights groups. Iceland has initiated a resolution supported by 28 nations calling on the United Nations to investigate.Duterte's spokesman Salvador Panelo called the UN resolution an interference, saying that other nations may have been misled by "false news" on the drug war because the deaths were mainly caused by suspects resisting arrest.In his speech, Duterte reiterated that the Philippines cannot fight China over the territorial dispute in the South China Sea because of China's military might. He instead urged the U.S. to intervene."Let them assemble all their armaments there in South China Sea," he said. "Fire the first shot and I'll be glad to do the next."To contact the reporters on this story: Clarissa Batino in Manila at cbatino@bloomberg.net;Andreo Calonzo in Manila at acalonzo1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Matthew BrockettFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Pixel 4 XL’s design just leaked again, and it still doesn’t look good Posted: 08 Jul 2019 08:44 AM PDT  A series of leaks in the past few weeks convinced Google to come out with an official Pixel 4 teaser that showed the phone's rear design. Google confirmed the phone will have a multi-lens camera module on the back that will look a lot like the iPhone 11's rumored camera design. Also, the teaser told us the phone will not feature a rear-facing fingerprint sensor, as has been the case with previous models. Google never showed us the front of the phone, but we've had plenty of leaks on the matter so far. And the latest set of renders shows us the upcoming Pixel 4 XL phone yet again, complete with its screen design.After giving us a look at the Pixel 4 design, PriceBaba and @Onleaks are back with Pixel 4 XL renders that give us the same good and bad news.https://twitter.com/OnLeaks/status/1148172149213028354The Pixel 4 XL will have the same design as the Pixel 4, but it'll be slightly bigger. The phone's display design isn't on par with what the competition has to offer though, and that's because we have a huge bezel at the top as well as a slightly smaller one on the bottom. Nope, there's no symmetry whatsoever.That said, the good news is that the ugly notch from the Pixel 3 XL is gone. Consider that your silver lining if you plan to buy Google's next-gen phone.The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL's top bezel will house two front-facing cameras as well as 3D face recognition components that will let Google offer Face ID-like authentication on the Pixel 4 phones. A different report revealed that code in an upcoming version of Google's Camera app mentions an IR sensor that the front camera can also use, quite probably for portrait shots. The same sensor would be used in 3D face recognition authentication processes.These images are based on leaked CAD designs, and considering the source, they're likely accurate.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhXqjNvOB_c
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| Photographed: The U.S. Air Force’s Secretive Robot X-37B Space Shuttle Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:29 AM PDT  A Dutch skywatcher achieved a rare feat in late June and early July 2019. Using a 10-inch-diameter telescope fitted with a camera, Ralf Vandebergh photographed the U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane in mid-mission 210 miles over Earth's surface."We can recognize a bit of the nose, payload bay and tail of this mini-shuttle, with even a sign of some smaller detail," Vandebergh told Space.com.Vandebergh had been hunting for the robotic spacecraft for months and finally managed to track it down in May 2019, according to Space.com reporter Leonard David. But it took a few more weeks to actually photograph the roughly 29-feet-long robotic shuttle."When I tried to observe it again [in] mid-June, it didn't meet the predicted time and path," Vandebergh told David. "It turned out to have maneuvered to another orbit. Thanks to the amateur satellite observers' network, it was rapidly found in orbit again, and I was able to take some images on June 30 and July 2, [2019]."Boeing built at least two X-37Bs for the Air Force in the mid-2000s reportedly at a cost of around a billion dollars apiece. While it looks like a miniature version of NASA's Space Shuttle, which retired from service in 2011, the X-37B essentially is a small, reusable and maneuverable satellite with a shorter per-mission endurance compared to single-use satellites.The Air Force describes the X-37B as an "orbital test vehicle," or OTV.The X-37B blasted off for its first mission on a United Launch Alliance Atlas rocket in April 2010. Where many satellites can function for up to a decade in orbit, the X-37B's longest mission as of early 2018 was its fourth, beginning in May 2015. It lasted 717 days.
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| Woman sues after giving birth to wrong babies in shocking IVF mix-up Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:46 AM PDT  A New York couple is suing a California fertility clinic for implanting the wrong embryos, leading to the birth of babies belonging to someone else.
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| Ex-GOPer Amash doubles down on call for Trump impeachment Posted: 07 Jul 2019 01:48 PM PDT  Days after declaring his independence from his Republican Party, Rep. Justin Amash reaffirmed his belief that "there's a strong case" to bring up articles of impeachment against President Trump. The newly independent Michigan lawmaker, who was the only GOP member to call for impeachment proceedings after Robert Mueller's report was released, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was making a mistake in not moving forward. From a strategic position, she's making a mistake," Amash said in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" Sunday.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib fire back at Nancy Pelosi's 'Twitter world' quip Posted: 08 Jul 2019 09:44 AM PDT ![Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib fire back at Nancy Pelosi's 'Twitter world' quip]( "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib fire back at Nancy Pelosi's 'Twitter world' quip") Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also took issue with Nancy Pelosi's dismissal of Twitter, saying the speaker would "rather campaign like it's 2008."
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| Boston suburb reflects broad changes in US immigration Posted: 07 Jul 2019 11:03 AM PDT  Guatemalan bakeries, Honduran restaurants and Salvadoran markets are joining an already ethnically diverse mix of businesses in downtown Chelsea, a tiny industrial city across the Mystic River from Boston. Among them is Catracho's, a modest Honduran eatery recently purchased by Johanna Mateo, who was born in New York and raised in Honduras until she was 12, when she joined her older sister in Chelsea. "I always wanted to reinvest in Chelsea," said Mateo, 27, who plans to expand to a vacant storefront next door.
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| Spy Photos of the 2021 Volkswagen GTI Mark 8 Posted: 08 Jul 2019 07:31 AM PDT |
| Malta to relocate 65 migrants after rescue ships defy Italy ban Posted: 07 Jul 2019 01:53 PM PDT  Malta's prime minister said Sunday his country would relocate to other EU nations 65 migrants from the Alan Kurdi rescue ship, after two other boats defied efforts to stop them landing in neighbouring Italy. All 65 were transferred to a Maltese navy ship on Sunday evening, the German charity Sea-Eye which operates the boat said in a statement, adding that its vessel had been refused entry to Valetta port. Premier Joseph Muscat tweeted earlier that "following discussions with the EU Commission and the German government", the 65 people would be transferred from the Alan Kurdi to a Maltese military "asset which will then enter a Maltese port".
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| Proud Boys’ D.C. Free-Speech Rally Goes Off With a Whimper Posted: 06 Jul 2019 12:55 PM PDT  Eric Thayer/ReutersFar-right groups including the Proud Boys and their allies rallied in downtown Washington, D.C., on Saturday, but were vastly outnumbered by counter-protesters and hamstrung by a muddled message, a depleted lineup, and a bungled stunt by their founder.Many of the pro-Trump personalities who spoke to a few hundred people at the so-called "Demand Free Speech" rally at D.C'.s Freedom Plaza complained about social media bans that have cratered their careers and left them marginalized within the conservative movement. But that message was often overshadowed by threats of violence from the rally's other speakers and a booming rival demonstration nearby. Social media giants like Twitter and Facebook were name-checked often during the speeches, but some speakers veered off on tangents."I may have been the first person in history completely banned from Tinder," speaker Greg Aselbekian shouted.Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes took the stage in fake handcuffs meant to symbolize the effect of online censorship on his politics. He then attempted to wrench the handcuffs off himself to prove that he could overcome his social media bans—but could not manage it and had to be helped by someone else on stage. After the rally, McInnes claimed that was all part of his plan. McInnes went on to praise the fighting prowess of the all-men's Proud Boys group that he founded but claims to no longer lead. McInnes compared the Proud Boys to German soldiers fighting waves of Soviet troops in World War II. "That's how it feels to fight antifa," McInnes said, referring to left-wing antifascist demonstrators participating in the counterprotest. The event often seemed to be as much about reminding Trump supporters about the fading right-wing stars' new endeavors as it was about making a coherent point about social media bans.Anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomer, who has been kicked off of Twitter, Facebook, and even food delivery service Uber Eats, urged the dwindling audience to subscribe to her newsletter. McInnes, meanwhile, wore a shirt promoting his new video site. Milo Yiannopoulos, an anti-Muslim British activist, took the stage in a wig to perform an unflattering impression of Loomer, and used much of his speech to insult right-wing personalities who had bailed on the rally. At the counterprotest across the street, hundreds of people listened to speakers critical of the right-wing rally and danced to go-go music. The right-wing rally came a week after contentious dueling rallies in Portland, in which conservative journalist Andy Ngo was injured by antifa activists. The Portland events had ratcheted up tensions for the D.C. rally, and groups of Proud Boys in their yellow and black polo-shirt uniforms patrolled the event's edges. But D.C. police mostly managed to keep the two sides apart. As of 3 p.m., an hour after the Proud Boys rally had ended, police said they had not made any arrests. Proud Boys Rally Rocked by Sex, Cocaine AllegationsThe rally lost some of its most prominent speakers in the run-up to the event. Former Pizzagate promoter Mike Cernovich bailed. Another speaker, perennial congressional candidate Omar Navarro, also bowed out amid a feud with the Proud Boys that involved allegations of cocaine and sex. Former Trump adviser Roger Stone was listed as a headliner, but also failed to show. On the day of the rally, notorious conservative operative Jacob Wohl, who was listed as a speaker, messaged The Daily Beast to make clear that he wouldn't be appearing after all. Wohl claimed, vaguely, that he'd been called out of town on business. 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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| Jeffrey Epstein: sex abuse allegations against billionaire socialite began in 2005 Posted: 08 Jul 2019 08:05 AM PDT  Epstein's friends have included Trump as he sought to manage money for wealthy clients, but allegations against him have been ongoing for yearsThe first allegations of sexual abuse against Jeffrey Epstein came in 2005. Photograph: Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty ImagesJeffrey Epstein, 66, is a Brooklyn-born financier who made his name at the investment bank Bear Stearns before opening his own firm in 1982, managing money for clients with wealth in excess of $1bn.The business came with an intensive social schedule. Epstein set himself up as a party figure in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida.He also sought to become to become a media player, seeking to purchase New York magazine against rivals, including the investor Nelson Peltz and the former movie producer Harvey Weinstein. In 2004, Epstein became an investor in Radar, a celebrity and pop culture magazine. The first allegations of sexual abuse came in 2005 when a woman contacted the Palm Beach police, alleging her 14-year-old stepdaughter had been taken to Epstein's mansion by an older girl. The girl was allegedly paid $300 to strip and massage Epstein.That triggered an 11-month investigation that drew in the FBI. Interviews with alleged victims and witnesses showed that some of the girls involved were under 18.Epstein's circle of friends and acquaintances has included Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Leslie Wexner, founder of the company that owns the Victoria's Secret lingerie brand, and many other prominent names in law, entertainment and politics.Allegations surrounding Epstein's personal life have been in and out of the news since he pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and felony solicitation of prostitution.Under that plea agreement, Epstein registered as a sex offender in Florida. But under a non-prosecution agreement with a prosecutors, he avoided federal charges which could have carried a hefty jail term.That agreement was made with prosecutors headed by now US labor secretary Alex Acosta and has come under repeated scrutiny for being seen as too lenient.In February, a judge ruled prosecutors in the case violated the law by concealing from his underage alleged victims the existence of a plea deal that shielded the financier from federal charges.
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| Organs of executed prisoners in Iran could be sold under new law Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:36 AM PDT  A new law in Iran could see the organs of convicts on death row pre-sold to buyers if the prisoners agree before their executions. Reports suggested that under the new head of the Iranian judiciary, Ebrahim Raeesi, an article in the criminal justice laws has been included which says: "If a convict voluntarily offers his or her organ before or after execution and no medical obstacle is offered, then the judge can approve this in coordination with the ministry of justice and the coroners' office." Iran's Association of Surgeons has strongly condemned the move, describing it as "extremely worrying, damaging to our profession and the prestige of Iran in the eyes of the civilised world". Professor Ali Jafarian of the liver transplant unit at Khomeini hospital in Tehran, who is also a member of the American Society of Transplantation, told the semi-official ISNA news agency that no specialist surgeon in Iran would be prepared to follow the law as "it is immoral and against all the values of our profession". "Anyone sentenced to death would not be in a right frame of mind to 'voluntarily' offer their organs, unless they are forced to do so under immense pressure," Dr Jafarian said. "Members of our association of surgeon will never abide by this law." There is a huge market in Iran for organ transplants due to the vast number of the country's kidney, heart and liver patients. Thousands of people from Arab countries also visit Iran specifically for this purpose, spending millions of pounds at Iran's private clinics. It is legal to sell organs in Iran. According to Mrs. Katayoun Najafizadeh, the head of Iran's Organ Donations Society, currently more than 25,000 Iranian patients are waiting to receive a transplant, but last year only 926 organs, mainly from victims of car crashes, were made available to the country's specialist hospitals. The shortage has led to the emergence of an illicit market where many poor people openly advertise the sale of one of their kidneys to those in need for as little as £200. The only country in the world that used the organs of executed prisoners in this way was China, which banned the practice in 2015, although reports suggest that organs continue to be harvested.
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| Trump administration 'uniquely dysfunctional', says UK ambassador to U.S.: newspaper Posted: 07 Jul 2019 01:50 AM PDT  Britain's ambassador to the United States described President Donald Trump's administration as "dysfunctional", "clumsy" and "inept", the Mail on Sunday newspaper reported, citing a series of confidential memos. In memos to the British government which date from 2017 to the present, Darroch said Trump "radiates insecurity" and advises officials in London that to deal with him effectively "you need to make your points simple, even blunt".
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| Otto Warmbier's family make claim for North Korean ship 'Wise Honest' seized by US Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:50 PM PDT  The U.S. had seized the ship, the "Wise Honest," because of violations of international sanctions against North Korea.
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| Wife of arrested Chinese ex-Interpol president sues agency Posted: 07 Jul 2019 01:44 AM PDT  The wife of former Interpol President Meng Hongwei is suing the international police agency, accusing Interpol of failing to protect him from arrest in China and failing to protect his family. Meng's wife Grace Meng said her lawyers filed a legal complaint in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. Interpol said Sunday it strongly disputes the allegations.
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| Biden apologizes for remarks about segregationists, defends civil rights record Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:36 PM PDT  The Democratic candidate also highlights his time in the Obama administration in a South Carolina address.
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| PIC's Matjila to Say He Was Ousted to Facilitate Edcon Rescue Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:48 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Daniel Matjila, the ousted chief executive officer of Africa's biggest fund manager, is expected to say his opposition to funding the rescue of South Africa's second-biggest clothing retailer ahead of national elections was one of the reasons he was dismissed.Matjila is scheduled to begin testimony to a special commission of inquiry on Monday that will include his assertion that the rescue of Edcon Holdings Ltd., which supports 140,000 jobs through direct employment and its supply chains, didn't meet the investment criteria of the Public Investment Corp.'s clients, according to his prepared statement.On the day he was ousted, Nov. 23, he met the chairman of the PIC, the country's economic development minister and the CEO of Edcon to put forward the conditions for supporting the deal, he is expected to say at the inquiry. Those weren't viewed favorably, he said.The ongoing inquiry has heard from about 70 witnesses -- several of whom flagged Matjila as playing a key role in approving questionable deals. He has denied that. President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the investigation in October last year, one of a handful he's instituted to probe alleged graft since taking office 16 months ago after Jacob Zuma's scandal-marred nine-year rule.Union PressureIn February, a senior official of the Congress of South African Trade Unions emailed the chairman of the PIC, who was also deputy finance minister at the time. He wrote that unless the PIC supported the rescue, the labor federation wouldn't be able to encourage its members to vote for the ruling African National Congress party in May elections.The rescue was announced a week later, with the PIC leading the 2.7 billion rand ($191 million) rescue. It used 1.2 billion rand of money from the Unemployment Insurance Fund, one of its clients.Matjila is expected to say he was removed, at least partly, to ensure the Edcon rescue could take place. He cited the email, from Cosatu's Parliamentary Coordinator, Matthew Parks, as evidence.Matjila asserts that he and the PIC's then head of private equity, Mervin Muller, maintained they would only back the rescue if Long4Life Ltd.'s proposal to invest 500 million rand in the deal went ahead. Long4Life is led by Brian Joffe, a veteran South African businessman. The company didn't invest.While the bailout would have rescued jobs it was unlikely to generate adequate returns, according to Matjila.The PIC on Thursday denied that the decision to invest the funds was politically influenced. Mondli Gungubele, the former deputy finance minister and chairman of the PIC, hasn't responded to phone calls and text messages about the Edcon deal.Matjila's departure from the PIC "occurred in the context of an avalanche of allegations of serious looting, indefensible investments costing billions of rand and a complete collapse of good governance at the PIC" and the labor federation only got involved two months later, in January, Cosatu said in an emailed statement on Sunday. "Yes we unashamedly championed the Edcon intervention. Cosatu's members have mandated us to fight to the very end to defend workers' jobs."(Adds size of Edcon in first paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Janice Kew in Johannesburg at jkew4@bloomberg.net;Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg at asguazzin@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: John McCorry at jmccorry@bloomberg.net, Gordon Bell, Karl MaierFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Pete Buttigieg Uses Essence Festival to Start His Rehab With Black Voters Posted: 07 Jul 2019 03:34 PM PDT  Josh Brasted/GettyNEW ORLEANS—Pete Buttigieg entered the 25th annual Essence Fest Sunday morning with nothing to lose. Polls show the South Bend mayor with little to no support among black voters and his handling of a recent police shooting has had him on the defensive for weeks while his rivals—several of whom appeared at Essence on Saturday—have been building momentum.Which is why on a brutally sweltering day he found himself in a dark suit and tie, walking into the New Orleans Convention Center to do a set as Tyler Perry's warm-up act.On his way in, Buttigieg stopped to chat with the two black women who manned his campaign table outside the Power Stage, where a panel on how to help formerly incarcerated black women reenter society was just wrapping up. A handful of older black women spotted Buttigieg, and queued up for photos, smiling broadly and chatting with the young mayor.Buttigieg on Police Reform in His City: 'I Couldn't Get It Done'A television crew soon materialized, drawing more onlookers, many of whom had no idea who was standing at the small throng's center. With 15 minutes before his speech was set to start, a staffer interrupted. "I'm sorry but we have to go, his speech is about to start," he explained to a handful of middle-aged black women—who ignored his pleas to let the candidate off the hook. After a few more handshakes and selfies, the diminutive Buttigieg was finally hustled off backstage, where he'd wait to try and reintroduce himself to black America.An early star of the 2020 Democratic primaries, Buttigieg's momentum stalled after South Bend police shot and killed 54-year-old Eric Logan in June. Although Buttigieg's handling of housing and gentrification issues had already become problematic issues for many black voters and pundits, the Logan shooting sent the campaign into a tailspin. Criticism only increased after a viral video of Buttigieg being confronted by Logan's family and protesters came out in which Buttigieg appeared to say he wasn't asking for their vote. Then during the debate Buttigieg failed to right the ship, and, even though he admitted he did not handle issues like growing diversity on South Bend's police force adequately, he caused further questions for black voters unhappy with his answers.While Buttigieg's zero support with black voters is of huge concern for his campaign, it also offers the political neophyte something of an opportunity. The lack of support in part reflects his lack of popularity due to his record, but it also shows that he's simply unknown in much of the black community—something Rev. Al Sharpton obliquely highlighted in introducing Buttigieg. "I told him it took me two weeks to learn to say his name right, but don't worry about that it took me a month to say Obama's name right," Sharpton joked.From the start of his brief remarks, it was clear Buttigieg was aiming to reframe the narrative about his handling of race issues, though he was careful to not avoid his, or his party's, recent problems. He invoked Logan's name in acknowledging a lack of success in dealing with police brutality while mayor, repeatedly lamented "systemic racism" in education, health care, and housing, and even criticized the Democratic Party for being "under the spell of the idea of colorblindness."Buttigieg also focused much of his remarks on black women, at one point calling for a national law outlawing "natural hair discrimination" and arguing that black women are "not just the backbone of the Democratic Party, but the bone and sinew that is making our democracy whole. We have seen time and time again, especially in the last couple elections, that when black women mobilize, outcomes change."During a Q&A; with Sharpton, Essence CEO Michelle Ebanks, and Essence owner Richelieu Dennis, Buttigieg used a question about former Vice President Joe Biden's apology for praising segregationist senators to argue for greater accountability and involvement in race issues for white politicians. "I think it was a step forward. When you're responsible for something you've got to own it," he said, adding that "especially white candidates need to find their voices on this issue."Aside from a few small groups of vocal white supporters in the audience, Buttigieg's reception was polite, if largely muted. Some of his lines hit: for instance, when he declared "our entire health-care system is burdened by racism, when black women are dying from maternal complications at three times the rate of white women" much of the crowd applauded and cheered. But other obvious applause lines, notably his denunciation of workplace discrimination against black women for their hair style, landed flat. In fact, probably the biggest Buttigieg-related applause came after the candidate was off-stage during an interview with Perry. As the interview was closing, Perry—wearing a winter jacket despite the 100 degree temps in New Orleans—jokingly complained "Mayor Buttigieg got five hours up here!" which sent the audience in hysterics.After the event, it didn't appear that Buttigieg had won over vast swaths of the audience. But that was never really in the cards, nor did it seem to be the point for his campaign. Essence is, after all, a celebration of blackness and, specifically, black women. And Buttigieg's calm, straightforward approach to public speaking doesn't quite match the upbeat nature of much of the festival. Indeed, while former first lady Michelle Obama was given the rock star treatment Saturday night—addressing the main stage in the Superdome to thunderous applause—none of the four other presidential candidates brought down the house. For instance, while Sens. Corey Booker (NJ), Elizabeth Warren (MA), and Kamala Harris (CA) were greeted warmly on Saturday, former Rep. Beto O'Rourke—who like Buttigieg is a relatively unknown figure in the black community—was given a reception similar to Buttigieg.Reactions to Buttigieg's speech were decidedly mixed. For some attendees, Buttigieg's appearance at least put him on their radar in a positive way. Lisa Bush said that while she didn't know anything about Buttigieg before seeing him Sunday, she liked what she heard and wanted to learn more about the political newcomer. "He used a lot of buzzwords that aroused my interest," Bush said. The 60-year-old educator from New Orleans also said she thought it was positive that he even came to Essence, which many white politicians have avoided."I congratulate him for just having the courage to… present his white face to a black audience," she said.Still, for other black voters, Buttigieg's record as mayor remains a disqualifier. "Am I fan of his? No, I am not," said Angela Jackson, a New Orleans medical professional. Jackson, who has lost two family members to police violence, said the Logan shooting and Buttigieg's response was deeply troubling, and that while some of what he said sounded positive, she remained concerned with a lack of specific, concrete policy proposals. "It's very disheartening to me… these race issues are very serious for our community," Jackson said."It's just insane that we live in the 21st century and we're still dealing with these issues… I just feel like I'm living in Jim Crow."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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| Manhunt launched after five bodies found in Missouri apartment Posted: 07 Jul 2019 09:15 AM PDT  Five people were found dead at an apartment in St Louis, Missouri, prompting police to appeal to the local community for help.The victims' bodies were discovered after a friend of the group returned to the building in the north of the city at around midday on Saturday.All five are adults but detectives did not release any information about their ages, genders or causes of death."We can tell they are homicides," said St Louis County police officer Tracey Panus outside the scene on Chambers Road."We got a call around noon for suspicious deaths in the 1900 block of Chambers. When we responded we found five deceased victims."We don't know cause of death, we don't have any suspects in custody, we are just looking for tips, we are looking for people to call our investigators to provide any information they may have seen between 9pm and noon today."Detectives used specialist equipment to take 3D images of the crime scene as part of the homicide investigation. The St Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper reported that the bodies were discovered by the father of one of the victims.Ronald Brewster, 68, said he went to the apartment to pick up his 40 year-old son, also named Ronald, for a family reunion. He said his son was a drug user, adding: "I worried about him and tried many times to get him into rehab."Photographs of the single-floor apartment block showed several windows and doors boarded up. Police said not all of the units were vacant.St Louis County Police chief Jon Belmar said: "It's a tragedy for a community, any time there is a scene like this, when five individuals are a victim of homicide."We need help from the community to assist us - somebody out there knows what happened."
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| Inside Ellen Van Dusen's Colorful Brooklyn Brownstone Posted: 08 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT |
| 'The boys are together again:' Second son dies a week after mother's drowning attempt Posted: 07 Jul 2019 08:10 PM PDT  Sherri Telnas now faces two homicide charges after her youngest son, Jacob Ray, died a week after she is accused of trying to drown him and his brother.
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| Iranians despair over nuclear deal confrontation Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:11 AM PDT ![Iranians despair over nuclear deal confrontation]( "Iranians despair over nuclear deal confrontation") Iran's decision to further challenge the United States by boosting its uranium enrichment beyond limits in its 2015 nuclear deal has deepened fears among Iranians that their country will remain in crisis mode over the long term. The United States' exit from the pact last year, under President Donald's Trump's campaign to squeeze Iran with sanctions, has so far failed to force its clerical rulers to renegotiate. Iran confirmed on Monday it had enriched uranium to a purity beyond that allowed by the pact.
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| Jim Beam bourbon warehouse fire still burning Thursday more than 42 hours after it started Posted: 07 Jul 2019 08:45 AM PDT ![Jim Beam bourbon warehouse fire still burning Thursday more than 42 hours after it started]( "Jim Beam bourbon warehouse fire still burning Thursday more than 42 hours after it started") The Woodford County Fire Department is waiting to extinguish the Jim Beam warehouse fire "because of the environmental consideration."
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| Trump shares fake Ronald Reagan quote suggesting Reagan predicted Trump’s election — in 1987 Posted: 08 Jul 2019 08:42 AM PDT  President Trump on Monday shared a tweet that included a quote from former President Ronald Reagan saying Reagan "felt like" he was "shaking hands with a president" when he met Trump. The quote appears to be fake.
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| Months of aftershocks could follow big California earthquake Posted: 06 Jul 2019 08:00 PM PDT  Officials in Southern California expressed relief Saturday that damage and injuries weren't worse after the largest earthquake the region has seen in nearly 20 years, while voicing concerns about the possibility of major aftershocks in the days and even months to come. No fatalities or major injuries were reported after Friday night's 7.1-magnitude earthquake, which jolted an area from Sacramento to Mexico and prompted the evacuation of the Navy's largest single landholding, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the Mojave Desert. The quake struck at 8:19 p.m. Friday and was centered 11 miles (18 kilometers) from Ridgecrest, the same area of the desert where a 6.4-magnitude temblor hit just a day earlier.
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| The Incredible Guts of Thae Yong-ho Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:30 AM PDT  Editor's Note: In the current issue of National Review, Mr. Nordlinger has a piece about Thae Yong-ho. The below is a larger treatment.People who manage to leave North Korea are often known as "defectors" -- even when they are ordinary citizens, rather than government officials or military personnel. That's because, when you are born in North Korea, you are deemed to belong to the state. If you leave, you have defected, and you are a traitor.Thae Yong-ho is a defector in a more widely understood sense. He was North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom when he went over to the South Koreans in 2016. He is one of the highest-ranking North Korean officials ever to defect. He is something rare in the world: a messenger from a closed and isolated society, a "hermit kingdom," as North Korea is called.• I have met him at the Oslo Freedom Forum, the annual human-rights gathering here in Norway's capital. Thae speaks good English with a slight British accent. He is elegant, knowledgeable, and self-assured -- a man you can imagine in diplomatic work.• He was born in 1962, and he grew up a true believer. There is little choice in North Korea. You are commanded to worship the Kims as gods. You know hardly anything about the outside world (although this is less true now than it was when Thae was growing up). He read books about Communist liberators who sacrificed their lives for the equality of man. Thae wanted to dedicate his life to that end too.I learn something from him that I have never heard before: North Korea has a version of the Ten Commandments -- with the ruling Kim, whoever he is (there have been three since the founding of the state), in place of God.Thae attended the Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies. He joined the WPK, the Workers' Party of Korea, i.e., the ruling party. He entered the foreign ministry in 1988. And, in 1996, he had his first foreign posting -- to Denmark.• That was a revelation. He expected beggars in the street and the ruthless exploitation of workers. Instead, he found a happy, peaceful, healthy society, with ample social welfare. This pricked at the young diplomat's brain.He also started to see North Korea, and its ruling Kims, as outsiders saw them. In the mid 1990s, there was a terrible famine in North Korea. Thae understood that this was the result of natural disasters, and that the leader, Kim Jong-il, was doing everything possible to relieve the problem.All North Korean diplomats, wherever they were posted, were instructed to get food aid from their host governments. Thae went to the Danish foreign ministry. They were happy to oblige. But they had questions: Why was Kim Jong-il investing millions in nuclear weapons when people were starving? Why was he spending millions on a mausoleum for Kim Il-sung (his father and predecessor) when people were starving? These were hard questions to answer.Thae came face to face with the hypocrisy of the regime he was serving, and had been taught to revere. North Korean delegates arrived in Denmark to buy cows, for the special use of the Kim family. This would keep the Kims in dairy products and beef. Other delegates arrived to buy beer for the North Korean elites. These things were a far cry from the equality of man.Thae began to experience "doublethink," in Orwell's immortal and useful coinage. Part of him held on to the true faith, the North Korean Communist faith; another part of him had plain doubts.• He was later posted to Britain. One of his duties was to speak to Communist and socialist groups -- people who loved North Korea. He duly sang the praises of his country to them. But he knew, already, that it was a false song. He felt sorry for these deluded Brits. He also felt sorry to deceive them, or to keep them in their delusions -- but he had no choice: It was his job.• Then there was the matter of his boys, his two sons. In an atmosphere of freedom -- namely, Britain's -- they, too, were experiencing doublethink. And they had some hard questions for their father at the dinner table."Why is there no Internet in North Korea? YouTube helps you with your homework. You can go there and learn how to figure out a math problem. Our government is supposed to be for education. They say that they are doing everything possible for education. So why don't they allow the Internet?"Thae Yong-ho found he had to tell them the truth: If North Koreans had the Internet, they would learn things about the Kims, which would lead them to challenge the Kims' rule. This, the Kims could not have.The two boys were teased at school, by their British classmates. You know how schoolkids are. "You're from North Korea? You ate your dogs, right?" "Hey, you have long hair! That's not allowed in your country. I'm going to call Chairman Kim, and he will send someone to bring you back!" Etc.• Periodically, the family would indeed go home to North Korea. And naturally, the boys' friends there were curious -- curious about life in Britain, curious about a world outside North Korea. The Thae boys could not tell them the truth. It would be dangerous to speak of the wonders of freedom -- the Internet, an abundance of food, and all that.They asked their father what they should do. He suggested that they re-read Oliver Twist -- and give their friends some stories out of that book. About the misery and exploitation of Britain.Yes, you can read Dickens in North Korea. A few months ago, I talked with Vladimir Bukovsky, the Russian dissident. He spent twelve years in the Soviet Gulag. He told me that, in prison libraries, you could read Dickens (and Dreiser).• Thae Yong-ho pondered his fate, and his family's, and North Korea's. Maybe he could wait the Kim regime out. Maybe it would collapse before too long -- certainly in his lifetime. Then, in 2009, Kim Jong-il announced that his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, would succeed him. This dispirited Thae. The end of the regime was not in sight.• A tidbit: Thae would have an encounter with Kim Jong-un's older brother, Kim Jong-chul, in London. Kim Jong-chul is a big fan of Eric Clapton, the British rocker. In 2015, Thae accompanied Kim Jong-chul to hear Clapton in the Royal Albert Hall. (I write about this family, among others, in my book Children of Monsters.)• Slowly, inevitably, defection crept into Thae's mind. He would not consider it while his family was separated. Diplomats could not have all of their children with them abroad -- someone had to be left hostage, back in North Korea. So, Thae and his wife would have one son or the other with them in Britain. But in 2014, Kim Jong-un changed the policy. Now they had both of their sons with them -- which changed the equation.But what about other relatives back home? The Kim regime is a firm believer in guilt by association. If one person steps out of line, his family and even his friends and colleagues pay for it. This keeps North Koreans in line.• There came a time when Thae Yong-ho was recalled from London to Pyongyang. Why was a mystery. Maybe they were going to punish him, for some infraction unknown to him. This happens to North Koreans routinely. They don't know they have done something wrong until they are being imprisoned, tortured, or killed.In 2013, many of Thae's diplomatic colleagues around the world were recalled and then -- who knows what happened to them? Apparently, they had some kind of association with Jang Song-thaek, the dictator's uncle, whom the dictator turned against (and, of course, killed).• Thae thought about his sons. What kind of future would they have in North Korea? Could he really consign them to that kind of life, when they had already enjoyed a free life? And what about their children, and their children? Thae decided he would "cut off slavery at my generation," as he puts it. This far and no farther. No matter what, his sons and grandchildren and so on would not be slaves. He made a break for it.The North Korean government called him "human scum" and, for good measure, accused him of child rape. (This accusation is a specialty of Communist governments, and of some post-Communist ones too, such as Putin's.)A delicate, awful question: What happened to Thae Yong-ho's brothers, sisters, and other relatives in North Korea? Sitting here in Oslo, I don't ask him. But previous interviewers have. He assumes his relatives are in camps. It weighs very, very heavily on him. Unspeakably so. Knowing this already, I don't need to ask.• I do ask him about his personal security. Does he have worries? "I have a lot of worries," he says, "but I am heavily protected when I am in South Korea. The South Korean government knows that I am No. 1 on the assassination list." And "I know this will go on till the last day of the Kim regime."• Let me pause, now, to relate something that happened in the days after Thae Yong-ho and I talked. Do you know about the recent fad of "milkshaking"? Protesters throw milkshakes on public figures they dislike. This happened to Thae as he was entering the Grand Hotel here in Oslo. The attacker, or "milkshaker," was a Norwegian leftist, apparently.In the Free World, hard as it may be to believe, some people despise North Korean defectors as traitors, liars, and defamers. They take essentially the same view as the Kim regime itself.When Thae was "milkshaked," his guards quickly subdued the attacker, and the man was soon arrested. Online, his comrades celebrated him. One of them said, "He got arrested for ruining a rich defector's coat and deserves a lot of support and love right now."It was just a milkshake, true -- nothing serious. But Thae didn't know that at first. He thought of Kim Jong-nam, the dictator's half-brother, who was killed when two women smeared him with a foreign substance in the Kuala Lumpur airport.• Back, now, to our conversation, and another question: How do South Koreans, his brother Koreans, treat Thae? It depends, he says. South Korea is polarized on the issue of North Korea. People on the left treat him with scorn. I remark that they might try living in North Korea, if they think it's so great -- which makes Thae smile.Around the world, people view the Korean War (1950–53) as a war between the North and the South. In South Korea, says Thae, many people view it, instead, as a war between Left and Right. And there is deep sympathy for the Left.Think of it: Left and Right did not fight merely theoretically. They did not fight merely with words. They fought with arms. East Germany and West Germany never fought a war against each other. The Koreas did. And this war reverberates, says Thae, even now.In South Korea, he meets people on the left who struggled for democracy and human rights in their country, when it was under dictatorship. Yet many of these same people are reluctant to talk about democracy and human rights for North Koreans. They want to change the subject.I remark to Thae that it must be bewildering to him to meet apologists for dictatorships -- especially North Korea's, the worst -- in free countries. Yes.• What does he think about the unusual relationship between the American president, Trump, and the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un? Thae says that he understands the need to discuss nuclear issues -- but does not understand why Trump depicts Kim as a "nice guy" or even a "normal person." "Kim Jong-un is a tyrant, a dictator, and a criminal."• Jeane Kirkpatrick used to describe North Korea as "a psychotic state," something of which the world had very little experience. Thae Yong-ho often describes life inside North Korea as "unimaginable." He is trying to get people to imagine it. He wrote a memoir, Cryptography from the Third-Floor Secretariat. He started a blog.• His goal, or dream, is nothing less than the end of the regime. He would like to see the Korean Peninsula reunited on democratic terms. Does he have a strategy? Yes. First and foremost, he wants to encourage North Korean elites to recognize what they surely know or suspect already, in their doublethinking: The Kim regime is corrupt, nasty, and lying.He knows what it's like to be a North Korean elite. He was one. Eventually, this doublethinking will tip over into a more resolute thinking: Yes, the North Korean regime is wrong. It smashes everything that a human being has a right to have.Thae does not think that this regime will fall tomorrow, oh no. But he thinks it will fall, as the people of North Korea learn more about themselves and others, and, in disgust at having been misled and oppressed, rise up.• Before he and I part, I ask Thae, "Do your former colleagues and other North Korean elites admire you, secretly?" "Yes," he says. "Do you know this for sure?" I ask. "Of course," he answers. They know, better than anyone else, the sheer guts of what Thae Yong-ho has done.
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| India 'dosa king' seeks delay to life sentence for love-saga murder Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:06 AM PDT  The founder of a trailblazing Indian restaurant chain sentenced to life for murder launched a Supreme Court appeal to delay the beginning of his term Monday, citing ill-health. P. Rajagopal, the wealthy founder of the Saravana Bhavan chain of eateries popular across India and beyond was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in 2004 over the killing of a love rival. Reports say Rajagopal, 71 and known as the "Dosa King" was obsessed with the daughter of an employee and wanted to marry her.
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| Democrats at Essence Fest Woo Voters They Ignore at Their Peril Posted: 07 Jul 2019 05:27 PM PDT ![Democrats at Essence Fest Woo Voters They Ignore at Their Peril]( "Democrats at Essence Fest Woo Voters They Ignore at Their Peril") (Bloomberg) -- A half-dozen Democratic presidential hopefuls spent the weekend pitching themselves and their plans to an audience of voters they ignore at their peril: black women.The annual Essence Festival in New Orleans is the country's largest gathering of African-American women, a group that votes in greater numbers than any other demographic in the Democratic party. The star-studded event -- it featured an interview of Michelle Obama by broadcaster Gayle King -- is now in its 25th year.The primary message was that black women as a voting bloc are not to be taken for granted."From abolition to civil rights, from workers rights to women's rights, black women have been at the center of every movement for social justice in our country's history,'' Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey said on Saturday."If black women are going to be the highest [Democratic] voters in this country then the agenda of African American women has to be at the center of Democratic agenda," Booker said.Sustainable GrowthOn Saturday, Senators Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Booker and former Texas Representative Beto O'Rourke gave speeches and took part in panels. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado also dropped in with unannounced, five-minute speeches.The candidates were quizzed on their plans to create sustainable economic growth for the black community and to narrow the wealth gap between white and black Americans.Lower levels of homeownership among African Americans through the denial of loans was cited by nearly all of the candidates as squelching the ability of families to accrue wealth over the generations.Harris announced a new plan to make it easier for black families to buy homes through a $100 billion investment by the federal government into neighborhoods that have historically been redlined, or where loans are declined because borrowers are seen as poor financial risks.Capital SqueezeAnother key impediment to economic development within the African American community is the shortage of capital available to black entrepreneurs."The fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in America are African American women, but they still do not get the access to capital that they deserve" Booker said. "In fact, between 2008 and 2017, just 0.0006% of all the startup capital was going to black women entrepreneurs."Warren, Booker, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg all have proposals to funnel grants to underrepresented entrepreneurs, or to take steps to remove racial bias in credit making decisions.On Saturday, Warren outlined her policy to raise wages for women of color, saying she'd sign an executive order to ensure federal contractors pay their employees equally or they would not receive federal contracts. And Buttigieg said he'd require employers to publish their gender pay gaps.As he did during a Miami candidates' debate in late June, Buttigieg -- essentially polling at zero among potential black Democratic voters -- took responsibility for racial tension in the city he leads."Three weeks ago, when we experienced the police shooting of a black man, Eric Logan, I have challenged our own police department to recognize all of the ways the uniform has been burdened by racism," Buttigieg said.Buttigieg has proposed what he dubs the "Douglass Plan for Black America," named for abolitionist Frederick Douglass. It would require 25% of federal government contracts to be awarded to minority-owned firms.To contact the reporter on this story: Emma Kinery in Washington at ekinery@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Ros Krasny, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Pope Francis claims US televangelist performed miracle, paving way for sainthood Posted: 06 Jul 2019 10:40 AM PDT  Pope Francis has declared that a late US television preacher once performed a miracle, moving him one step closer to sainthood.The Vatican announced on Saturday the formal approval of the miracle, thought to relate to claims about a baby's extraordinary recovery in an Illinois hospital.The Diocese of Peoria believes that Archbishop Fulton J Sheen – who died in 1979 – interceded in 2010 on behalf of a baby who began breathing 61 minutes after showing no signs of life at birth.One miracle allows a candidate for sainthood to be beatified in the Catholic faith, but a second miracle must be approved in order for sainthood to be conferred.No date has been given for his beatification ceremony, but the Peoria Diocese said it was beginning preparations for the celebration in the central Illinois city.Archbishop Sheen's on-air evangelism made him a well-known figure in the US over several decades, having started on NBC radio in 1930 with a weekly programme called The Catholic Hour.He expanded to television in 1950 with NBC's Life is Worth Living, regularly amassing more than 30 million viewers.The pope's decision comes just weeks after a New York court ruling allowing the American archbishop's niece to bury him in Peoria, where he was ordained, ending years of litigation and allowing the process for sainthood to resume.Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky said he was grateful the Vatican acted quickly after the transfer of the archbishop's remains, and hopeful Pope Francis will set a date for beatification soon."It is truly amazing how God continues to work miracles," Bishop Jenky said.The diocese conducted a canonical investigation into the 2010 birth at a Peoria hospital and submitted its findings to the Vatican in 2011.The Church teaches that only God performs miracles but that saints who are believed to be with God in heaven intercede on behalf of people who pray to them. A miracle is usually the medically inexplicable healing of a person.Additional reporting by agencies
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| Dog owners told to feed pet before post arrives and lock them in room for ten minutes after postman has left, under Royal Mail guidance Posted: 07 Jul 2019 04:00 PM PDT  Dog owners should feed their pets before the postman arrives and lock them away for ten minutes after he leaves, the Royal Mail has said following a spate of attacks. Every week in the last year around 47 postmen and women were attacked by dogs in the course of their work, new figures show. There were 2,484 dog attacks on postal staff in the past year, representing an increase of 9% on the year previously. Attacks have left some mail workers with "permanent and disabling injury" the report said. In response the Royal Mail has issued a set of guidelines to dog owners to prevent further attacks in which it warns even the most lovable dog can pose a danger to delivery workers. Among the postal services' advice is to give your dog some food to occupy them while mail is being delivered. Pet owners should shut their canines in a secure room when the postman comes knocking and "wait 10 minutes after mail has arrived to let your pet back into your hallway". In several postcodes, attacks on postal workers have risen. Telford has seen the rate of dog attacks quadruple, Royal Mail said. A Royal Mail postal van Credit: Luke MacGregor/Reuters In the last year, 883 or 35% of dog attacks on postal workers happened at the front door or in the garden, the report said. Tina O'Toole, a postwoman who has been working in Warrington for three years was set upon and bitten on the leg by a dog in the front garden of a property she was delivering to. Ms O'Toole received treatment in hospital for her injury and required a skin flap. She was unable to work for five weeks following the incident. "The day before the attack, the dog had attempted to grab the mail through the box. That made me think it was quite aggressive," Ms O'Toole said. "On the day of the attack… I turned to leave the premises when I heard the dog barking and running up behind me. As I was attempting to get through the gate I felt pain to my right calf. Ms O'Toole said she "went int shock" when she saw the blood seeping through her trousers. "It would have been much worse if I was wearing shorts. Neighbours called the ambulance and I was rushed to hospital."
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| Madrid fills with rainbow flags for gay pride parade Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:00 PM PDT ![Madrid fills with rainbow flags for gay pride parade]( "Madrid fills with rainbow flags for gay pride parade") Dozens of colourful floats were commissioned by civil groups, corporations and political parties to roll through the city in a spectacle that has become familiar in Spain, which in 2005 became only the third country in the world to allow gay marriage. "This is pure pride, it is pride in our rights, more than partying or drinking," said Sergio Mendez, who was attending the celebration with his partner during their first visit to Europe from their native Colombia.
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| What You Missed at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed Posted: 07 Jul 2019 01:14 PM PDT |
| Iran breaches key uranium enrichment limit in nuclear deal Posted: 08 Jul 2019 10:28 AM PDT  Iran on Monday began enriching uranium to 4.5%, just breaking the limit set by its nuclear deal with world powers, while it is still seeking a way for Europe to help it bypass U.S. sanctions amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington. The acknowledgement by the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to The Associated Press shows that the Islamic Republic trying to increase pressure on those still in the 2015 nuclear deal. It also comes just days after Iran acknowledged breaking the 300-kilogram (661-pound) limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile, another term of the accord.
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| GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy is under investigation by federal grand jury Posted: 08 Jul 2019 09:42 AM PDT  A federal grand jury in New York is investigating top Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy to determine whether he used his position as vice chair of President Trump's inaugural committee to drum up business deals with foreign leaders, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press and people familiar with the matter.
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| Biden apologizes for comments defending segregationist senators Posted: 06 Jul 2019 07:48 PM PDT  Former US Vice President Joe Biden, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential election, apologized on Saturday for comments supporting segregationist lawmakers that had been seized on by his opponents. A former Delaware senator who served under America's first black president Barack Obama, Biden stirred controversy last month when he said he'd "got things done" with the late southern senators James Eastland and Herman Talmadge, both of whom supported racist policies. Eastland "never called me 'boy,' he always called me 'son,'" Biden had said in remarks that sparked condemnation from several of his competitors seeking the Democratic nomination to face Republican President Donald Trump in next year's election.
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| U.S. Women’s World Cup Win Tops Men’s Final Ratings by 20% Posted: 08 Jul 2019 10:14 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. women's World Cup victory was also a ratings winner for its broadcasters.The American audience for the game was 20% higher than last year's men's final, Fox Sports said on Monday. For the entire tournament, Fox's audience grew 1% over 2015, which had set the global record for TV viewership, and was up 19% over 2011.The U.S. women defeated the Netherlands 2-0 on Sunday to win their fourth world title. Last year's men's World Cup final didn't include the U.S. team, which failed to qualify for the tournament, lessening the interest from American TV audiences.The success of the U.S. women's soccer team has become a gender-equality issue. On a per-game basis, men who play for the national team make more than the women do. That discrepancy has become fodder for a pay discrimination suit against U.S. Soccer, which oversees both squads. The big audience for Sunday's match likely casts an even brighter spotlight on the pay disparity, since higher ratings translate into greater advertising sales."Broadcasters, platforms and rights holders are waking up to the fact that women's sports, football in particular, is a real audience driver and revenue maker right now," said Jonathan Gibson, director of global sports sales at the online media company Ooyala. "Rights will increase, advertising revenue will get a boost, and there will be huge sponsorship opportunities."This year's tournament also captivated viewers outside the U.S. The semifinal between the U.S. and England was the most-watched live event on the BBC this year, the broadcaster said. And the BBC's audience over the course of the tournament was more than double what it was four years ago, when the Women's World Cup was played in Canada.In the Netherlands, meanwhile, the final match against the U.S. team was the largest TV audience in that country since the 2014 men's World Cup semifinal, when the Netherlands lost to Argentina. Nearly 90% of Dutch TV viewers watched Sunday's women's match.Final viewership numbers are expected later on Monday.(Updates with BBC audience in sixth paragraph)\--With assistance from Janet Paskin.To contact the reporters on this story: Gerry Smith in New York at gsmith233@bloomberg.net;Greg Ritchie in London at gritchie10@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Rob GolumFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Police officers praised after paying for woman's groceries instead of arresting her for shoplifting Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:22 AM PDT  Three New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers have been praised after they paid for a woman's groceries when she was caught attempting to steal the goods.The moment at a Manhattan Whole Foods was captured by a fellow shopper, who snapped a photo and posted it on Twitter.The image shows the woman burying her head in her hands, while the three officers stand around her at the cash register, paying for the food."I know that the police make split second decisions each day, so for the police to pay for the woman's food without hesitation was powerful," Paul Bozymowski, the individual who took the photo, told The Independent. "It was incredibly moving to see such a genuinely kind moment."The officers have since been identified as lieutenant Louis Sojo, and officers Esnaidy Cuevas and Michael Rivera, who said during a press conference that officers all around the city act in this way frequently – but that these actions are rarely seen.During that press conference on Friday they said they were heading into the store to when they were told by security guards that the woman was stealing food."I asked her, 'What's going on?' She told me she was hungry," Mr Sojo said. "So, I looked in her bag. I decided – we decided – to say 'We'll pay for her food'."He added that they were not expecting the reaction they received."You know, I've been doing this for 22 years. This is not the first time I've paid for food. This is not the first time they've paid for someone's food," Mr Sojo said."We don't go out and do it all the time, but, you know, when you look at someone's face and you notice that they need you, and they're actually hungry. It's pretty difficult as a human being to walk away from something like that. We weren't raised like that. So, it's the right thing to do."Mr Bozymowski, for his part, said he did not think many in the supermarket noticed the police officers and their act of kindness. But, he said he was glad his photo had resonated."When I posted the photo, I certainly didn't think it would get this amount of attention. I'm happy it is," he said. "If the story can inspire others to be generous and kind, then that's good for all of us."
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| California earthquake: Here's what we know about injuries, damage and aftershocks Posted: 06 Jul 2019 04:35 PM PDT  A 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocked Southern California late Friday. Here's what we know about injuries, damage and aftershocks.
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| U.S. to seek death penalty for murder of Chinese grad student Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:00 AM PDT ![U.S. to seek death penalty for murder of Chinese grad student]( "U.S. to seek death penalty for murder of Chinese grad student") U.S. prosecutors were expected on Monday to argue that an Illinois man who kidnapped, raped and murdered a Chinese graduate student two years ago should be executed. A jury in U.S. District Court in Peoria, Illinois, found Brendt Christensen, 29, guilty last month of the abduction and murder of Yingying Zhang, a 26-year-old student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While Illinois has outlawed the death penalty, federal prosecutors trying Christensen under U.S. kidnapping laws had said they planned to seek the death penalty if he was found guilty.
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| F-22s vs. F-35s: Who Wins When the 2 Deadliest Stealth Fighters Fight? Posted: 07 Jul 2019 09:00 AM PDT  Two F-22s from the 95th Fighter Squadron flew to Orland Air Base, Norway, Aug. 15, for a one-day exercise with Norwegian F-35s.The two U.S. F-22s are among 13 in Europe for a series of short-term deployments in places such as Greece and Poland, with further training missions planned in undisclosed locations in coming days.As reported by Reuters, Colonel Leslie Hauck, chief of the fifth generation integration division at the U.S. Air Force's headquarters in Europe, said that even if the Norwegian deployment lasted just one day it will lay the groundwork for NATO allies as they work to integrate their stealth warfare capabilities.(This first appeared last year.)Growing numbers of Lockheed Martin F-35s are arriving in Europe as the world's most advanced warplane and most expensive weapons program matures following a raft of cost increases and technical challenges in its early years."Every training opportunity that we have betters our readiness for any potential adversary of the future," Hauck said at the Orland air base, already home to six of Norway's expected 52 F-35s.
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| Investigators scour scene of Bahamas chopper crash for clues Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:13 PM PDT  Accident investigators in the Bahamas are going well below the surface of the water to try to figure out what went wrong in the moments before a helicopter crashed after takeoff and killed seven people, including West Virginia coal magnate Chris Cline. The Air Accident Investigation Department of the Bahamas said via Twitter late Friday that salvage teams were conducting "underwater surveying and mapping of debris field." The department said the operation has been underway since the crash of the Augusta AW139 chopper, which went down Thursday in waters just off Grand Cay after departing for Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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