| 'Words matter': Bloomberg says Trump rhetoric can encourage violence Posted: 11 Aug 2019 05:28 AM PDT  Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he hopes President Trump understands that a leader's careless word choice risks encouraging racism and even violence.
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| Here's what conditions are like at the prison where Jeffrey Epstein apparently died by suicide Posted: 12 Aug 2019 09:04 AM PDT  The Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Jeffrey Epstein died by apparent suicide, has long been criticized for inhumanely treating inmates.
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| Hong Kong Cancels All Remaining Monday Flights as Protests Swarm Airport Posted: 12 Aug 2019 02:27 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong airport authorities canceled remaining flights on Monday after protesters swarmed the main terminal building for a fourth day, the biggest disruption yet to the city's economy since demonstrations began in early June.Thousands of black-clad protesters on Monday packed the arrival area, where they had gathered for a three-day sit-in that was originally planned to end last night. The protests, initially sparked by opposition to a bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China, have become increasingly violent in recent weeks, with demonstrators targeting public transportation in a bid to pressure the government.It was unclear how many flights were impacted, according to Doris Lai, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong Airport Authority. The airport said in an earlier statement that it was aiming to restore operations as soon as possible after canceling all flights for the rest of the day, except those already in the air.Shares of Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Hong Kong's main airline, tumbled to a 10-year low after the news. The government planned a press briefing for 5:15 p.m. local time. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index came off its session high and contracts for all three main U.S. equity indexes erased earlier gains.China stepped up its rhetoric on Monday, saying protesters have committed serious crimes and showed signs of "terrorism." Hong Kong has come to a "critical juncture" and all people who care about its future should say no to violence, Yang Guang, a spokesman for its Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, told reporters on Monday as protesters gathered at the airport."All those who care about Hong Kong's future should come out and stand against all criminal acts and perpetrators of violence," Yang told reporters.pic.twitter.com/ASW4GaBAYE— Bloomberg TicToc (@tictoc) August 12, 2019 The protests have evolved into the biggest challenge to Chinese control since the U.K. relinquished its former colony in 1997. The social unrest has hurt the economy and impacted daily life in one of the world's most densely crowded cities, raising concern that Beijing will use force to restore order.Stoking those fears, the Communist Party-backed Global Times reported on Monday that the Chinese People's Armed Police have been assembling across the border in Shenzhen ahead of "apparent large-scale exercises."Tang Ping-keung, deputy commissioner of police, said it was too early to say whether force would be used to clear the airport. "It will be up to commander to decide" whether to use tear gas, he told reporters.Authorities had deployed more aggressive tactics during the weekend protests, with riot police videotaped beating demonstrators in subway stations and officers going undercover to infiltrate the group and make arrests. The violent scenes emerged as protesters used flash mobs across the city, surrounding police stations, disrupting traffic, and hurling projectiles including bricks and petrol bombs. One officer was taken to the hospital after suffering burns in the upmarket shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui. Mob violence broke out elsewhere.Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets at various locations -- including inside a metro station for the first time. Dramatic videos showed riot police firing weapons at close range and beating some protesters, many of whom wore yellow hard hats and gas masks. Some 13 protesters were injured, including two in serious condition, RTHK reported, citing hospital authorities.Cathay Pacific has come under fire after some of its employees joined the demonstrations. A Chinese state-run company told employees not to fly Cathay Pacific on business or personal trips, according to people familiar with the matter.Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has refused to yield to a series of demands, including that she withdraw the bill and step down from her position. Authorities in Beijing remain supportive of her government, which has warned of an economic crisis if the demonstrations drag on.Read an Explainer on Hong Kong's Protest MovementThe protesters are resorting to flash mobs and violence as their numbers diminish, according to Steve Vickers, chief executive officer of risk consultancy Steve Vickers and Associates and a former head of the Royal Hong Kong Police Criminal Intelligence Bureau."The government's policy of sitting on their hands and hiding behind the police is actually working," Vickers told Bloomberg Television on Monday. "The numbers are declining, the level of violence is increasing. As violence increases, the more middle class people and ordinary people of Hong Kong will turn against this movement."China in recent weeks has toughened its stance toward the movement and doubled down on its support for the police. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, its top agency overseeing the former British colony's affairs, has held unprecedented briefings condemning violent protesters and called on the people of Hong Kong to oppose them. An overseas edition of the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily said last month that police should take stern action to restore order.Hong Kong called former deputy police commissioner Lau Yip-shing out of retirement last week to handle major upcoming public events including celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in October. Lau had overseen the government's crackdown on protesters during the 2014 pro-democracy Occupy movement.Authorities had denied permits over the weekend for protests in all but Victoria Park, but demonstrators took to the streets anyway. Police made more arrests on Sunday after detaining 16 people on Saturday, with local media reporting that officers may be dressing as protesters and infiltrating their ranks to help with detentions.China's civil aviation authority had earlier told Cathay Pacific to ban all employees who supported or joined the recent protests from flying to the mainland, one of the strongest signs yet that Beijing is losing its patience with the demonstrations.Cathay suspended a pilot from flying who had been detained while participating in a protest, the airline said in a statement. It also fired two workers for "misconduct." They allegedly leaked information about the travel arrangements of a Hong Kong police soccer team, the South China Morning Post reported."As always our actions and responsibilities are focused on the safety and security of our operations," the airline said.This weekend's protests come days after a general strike that disrupted the financial hub's morning rush hour, leaving traffic jammed, subway lines suspended and dozens of flights canceled. Those demonstrations also ended in tear gas and dispersal operations."It's affected business tremendously -- all businesses basically," Allan Zeman, chairman of Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong Group, which operates restaurants and bars in the city, told Bloomberg Television. "We have to stop the violence. That's the most important thing. Then we can talk."(Updates throughout.)\--With assistance from Fion Li, Will Davies and Justin Chin.To contact the reporters on this story: Venus Feng in Hong Kong at vfeng7@bloomberg.net;Sheryl Tian Tong Lee in Hong Kong at slee1905@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Canada cable car cord severed in 'likely sabotage' Posted: 11 Aug 2019 09:34 AM PDT  Canadian police are investigating an apparent act of vandalism after a cord carrying cable cars was severed, sending all 30 of them crashing to the ground.The company said the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, north of Vancouver, was not operating at the time of the incident, and that no guests or staff members were injured.The attraction's manager told Canadian broadcaster CBC that maintenance on the line had been recently carried out "and it was a big, thick, beautiful healthy rope".The firm said the incident took place at around 04.30 local time (11.30 GMT).Police think an individual deliberately slashed the cables in the early hours of Saturday and say technical safety experts are now assessing the line."We believe the cables were cut and this was a deliberate act of vandalism," Squamish RCMP Inspector Kara Triance told CBC. "At this time, it's a crime scene."Inspector Triance said the person responsible placed themselves in "extreme jeopardy" if they had scaled a maintenance pole. She also noted the steel cable coming loose under tension would have been highly dangerous.Police are asking visitors to steer clear of the area – including away from nearby trails. They have also urged any hikers, climbers, or campers who were in the area to get in touch with them."We recognise the potential of what could have been and are thankful that no one was injured," police said in a statement.The Sea to Sky Gondola takes passengers to almost 3,000 feet above sea level, giving views of Howe Sound, a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver, and surrounding waterfalls. Each of the gondola cars is able to hold eight passengersAdditional reporting by agencies
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| Accused Sex Trafficker Steered $100K Payday to Bannon Posted: 11 Aug 2019 02:30 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by Lyne Lucien/The Daily Beast/GettyAn accused pedophile helped Steve Bannon secure a $100,000 speaking gig from a prestigious Washington think tank, according to emails reviewed by The Daily Beast. The emails—between Republican fundraiser and investor Elliott Broidy and Lebanese-American political operative George Nader—shed light on the relationship between Trump's ex-adviser and a man now in jail awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. The emails point to a closer relationship between Bannon and Nader than previously known. It's been widely reported that Nader met with Bannon in the White House during his time as a Trump adviser there. But these emails show they stayed in contact after Bannon left government, and that Nader helped the ex-Breitbart chief secure an appearance with a six-figure payday. A Bannon spokesperson, meanwhile, said Nader was "irrelevant" to Bannon's speech. Nader's work drew the attention of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who questioned him extensively as part of his probe into foreign meddling in the 2016 presidential race. But Mueller wasn't the only federal prosecutor interested in Nader. On June 3 of this year, he was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and charged with possessing child pornography. And just last month, the feds rolled out additional charges for child sex trafficking. Nader is in jail awaiting trial, and has pleaded not guilty. Broidy, meanwhile, also appears to have drawn attention from the feds: The Daily Beast confirmed in April that one of his former associates has spoken with FBI agents about his business dealings. The emails between Nader and Broidy, sent in September and October 2017, involve arrangements for a conference on Qatar hosted by the Hudson Institute. Broidy, then seeking business from the government of the United Arab Emirates, was running a quiet public relations campaign designed to undermine the Qatari government's influence in Washington and with American Jewish leaders. He was particularly incensed that Nick Muzin, a former staffer to Sen. Ted Cruz with deep ties to Jewish leaders, had signed on to lobby for the government of Qatar. They'd run in the same tight-knit circle of Jewish Republicans and Broidy saw Muzin as a traitor. The country's connections to Iran—with which it shares a huge gas field—have long angered many in the pro-Israel community. And its ownership of Al Jazeera also fuels opposition from many supporters of Israel. Steve Bannon Got Russian 'Evidence' From Rob Goldstone During Transition"I want to Puke," he wrote in an email to his wife on Sept. 6. "What a moron.""Is this guy a self-hating Jew or an idiot?" she replied. "What can you do?"Just a few months earlier, the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates started a blockade of Qatar. It was a bid to isolate the peninsular nation, which those governments blamed for funding terrorism. The Qataris kicked off a well-funded lobbying effort to tell their side of the story in Washington and stay in the Trump administration's good graces. Muzin's outreach to Jewish leaders—which Broidy sought to countervail—was part of the Qataris' effort to shore up support. As part of Broidy's project, he helped arrange a conference to be held at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank known for its foreign policy work. The conference, set for October of 2017, would make the case against Qatar. In September, Broidy communicated with Nader—whom he had known since Trump's inauguration—about those plans. And on Sept. 22, Nader emailed Broidy about getting Bannon involved [all punctuation sic]. "Hope all is going well with you and the Conference," Nader wrote. "Send me please an update[.] Steve is interested in participating." Nader then shared Bannon's email with Broidy. "Send him pls a letter to brief him…on the conference, what you like him to do and when," Nader continued. "You should get him key time and all by himself with proper guy to introduce him. Let me know what you have in mind!"Two days later, Broidy sent Nader a curious email. It opened with the words "Dear Steve," and then described the plans for the conference. "I would love to have you as one of the keynote speakers," Broidy wrote in the email sent to Nader but addressed to Bannon. The email included a draft of the conference's agenda. It appears Broidy wanted Nader to proof-read the invitation before it went to Bannon, who had left the White House in August 2017.On Sept. 29, event organizers circulated a draft of a Save-the-Date invitation for the conference. Bannon's name wasn't on it. "You need to add please Steve Bannon," Nader wrote in an email to Broidy. "He is as important if not more to that invitation and kindly send me too a draft of the full program as is for now[.]" Two weeks later, Bannon was in. "Still working on many details," Broidy wrote to Nader on Oct. 17. "Will get schedule to you when ready. Steve is on board, FYI $100k honorarium." Five days later, Broidy was still keeping Nader looped in on Bannon's participation. He forwarded Nader an email he sent directly to Bannon that day. "I am very excited about your appearance at the conference tomorrow," he wrote in the email to Bannon that he forwarded to Nader. "George asked me to resend some talking points. See you then." A person close to Bannon said that the two men got to know each other better after Bannon left the White House, and that Nader was one of many people who approached Bannon on behalf of event organizers about making speeches. But a Bannon spokesperson discounted Nader's role in Bannon's speech."This is just one of many speaking requests Mr. Bannon receives," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Hudson Institute is a highly respected think tank, and because of that, he accepted an invitation with others such as Sen. Cotton and Gen. Petraeus. George Nader was irrelevant; neither he nor anyone has influenced Mr. Bannon's longtime position on the condemnation of Qatar as an urgent threat to Israel: a state sponsor of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and other Islamic terror organizations."The conference went forward, largely as planned, and a source familiar with it confirmed that Bannon received the $100,000 payment. It featured a host of luminaries, including Gen. David Petraeus; Zalmay Khalilzad, who later became the State Department's Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation; Democratic and Republican members of the House of Representatives; and Republican Sen. Tom Cotton. Bannon, in his speech, was characteristically bombastic and praised the blockade. "I think the single most important thing that's happening in the world is the situation in Qatar," he said. "What's happening in Qatar is every bit as important as what's happening in North Korea."A lawyer for Nader declined to comment for this story. Spokespersons for Broidy and Bannon declined to comment as well. The Hudson Institute stands by its work."Hudson has held countless panels and produced reports on the Middle East, including Qatar and the pernicious impact of the Muslim Brotherhood specifically," said a statement the Institute shared with The Daily Beast. "We believe our criticisms and analysis of Qatar, Iran, and the Muslim Brotherhood are still valid." George Nader's Phones Had Child Porn—and Communications With a Crown Prince, Feds SayA source close to Hudson said Bannon's honorarium was on par with what other main speakers received. In an ironic twist, Bannon has since gotten to know Muzin—Broidy's old nemesis—and discussed going into business with him. The Daily Beast reported earlier this year that Muzin pitched an executive at Juul, the e-cigarette company, on his lobbying services and said Bannon would be able to help out with his influence efforts. Juul didn't take them up on the offer. For Broidy and Nader, the weeks before the Hudson conference were a comparatively simple time. Two months after the event, hackers stole troves of emails Broidy had sent and received. The emails were fodder for a host of news stories about his business dealings and relationships with foreign government officials, including officials looking to influence Trumpworld. Many of Nader's communications with Broidy have also become public since the hack. And numerous reports have revealed Nader's work as a gatekeeper between Gulf dignitaries and denizens of Trumpworld. The emails The Daily Beast obtained indicate that, on at least one occasion, he also helped connect a Republican financier to Bannon. Broidy has alleged in court that the Qatari government sponsored the hacks. The Qataris say the allegations are baseless, and the litigation is underway. 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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| Muslim pilgrims converge on Jamarat for ritual stoning of the devil Posted: 11 Aug 2019 03:41 AM PDT  Muslims from around the world hurled pebbles at a giant wall in a symbolic stoning of the devil on Sunday, the start of the riskiest part of the annual haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, where hundreds died in a crush four years ago. The kingdom stakes its reputation on its guardianship of Islam's holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, and organizing the world's largest annual Muslim gathering which retraces the route Prophet Mohammad took 14 centuries ago. Nearly 2-1/2 million pilgrims, mostly from abroad, have arrived for the five-day ritual, a religious duty once in a lifetime for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.
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| 'Clearly wrong' to think he could get through to Trump on climate change, says Gore Posted: 11 Aug 2019 04:58 AM PDT  ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl sits down with former Vice President Al Gore to talk climate change, the 2020 field and President Donald Trump.
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| Police are investigating a social media threat of the 'biggest mass shooting in modern American history' targeting Walmart stores in Missouri Posted: 10 Aug 2019 11:33 AM PDT  The threat was posted this week to Reddit by someone claiming to have two AR-15 semi-automatic weapons and 22 pipe bombs.
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| Escaped Tennessee inmate captured after 5-day manhunt Posted: 11 Aug 2019 03:00 PM PDT  A Tennessee convict suspected of killing a corrections administrator before escaping prison on a tractor was captured Sunday seven hours after homeowners recognized him on their outdoor surveillance camera, authorities said. Curtis Ray Watson put his hands up and was arrested as he came out of a soybean field Sunday in the west Tennessee community of Henning, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said at a news conference. The field is 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the prison Watson escaped from Wednesday and near a home where he was seen on a surveillance camera earlier Sunday, Rausch said.
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| Hong Kong's airport canceled all flights on Monday as protests raged. Here's why. Posted: 12 Aug 2019 09:40 AM PDT  Hong Kong International Airport shut down all flights after thousands of protesters flooded the airport's main terminal Monday afternoon.
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| View 2019 BMW X7 Photos Posted: 12 Aug 2019 04:59 AM PDT |
| Mueller-Fueled FARA Fear Grips Washington as Craig Goes to Trial Posted: 12 Aug 2019 01:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Gregory Craig has been a top White House lawyer, a partner in two prestigious Washington law firms, and a graduate of both Harvard University and Yale Law School. Just six years ago he was called one of America's most influential lawyers.One title he'd like to avoid: convicted felon.Craig, who served as White House counsel during President Barack Obama's first term, is set to face a jury Monday over criminal charges that could send him to prison for five years. He's a rare Democrat caught up in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling. The former partner at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP is accused of scheming to dupe the U.S. government about the extent of his work for a pro-Russian Ukrainian regime.His prosecution is the latest in a string of cases arising from probes into violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which was rarely enforced until recently. The law, enacted in 1938 after a spike in domestic pro-Nazi messaging, requires disclosure by U.S. companies and people conducting "political or quasi-political" activities for a foreign government or official.New FARA registrations made public by the Justice Department jumped 46% from 2016 to 2017, the year Mueller was appointed as special counsel and homed in on the foreign dealings of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Attorneys say this wasn't a coincidence."That's what really got people's attention," Scott Thomas, head of Blank Rome LLP's political practice, told Bloomberg in an interview.The "Manafort era" indicated that the Justice Department would be much bolder in its pursuit of violations, he said. In turn, both FARA registrations and enforcement "really picked up the pace."Read More: Prominent Lawyer's Indictment Puts Pressure on Foreign LobbyistsThis year's crop of new FARA registrants is on track to top the 113 recorded in 2018. FARA-related criminal charges are on the rise, too.Craig's prosecution is at least the fourth brought under the law in the past two years, and it's the third specifically tied to allegations of illegal lobbying for the government of ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.Manafort, who's now serving an aggregate prison term of seven and a half years, was indicted in October 2017 for failing to register as an agent of a foreign government and other charges.Former Manafort associate Rick Gates, who worked on Trump's campaign and inauguration, pleaded guilty in early 2018 to similar charges, admitting he and Manafort failed to disclose their work for Ukraine. Gates agreed to cooperate with Mueller's probe and was a witness in Manafort's trial.In their case against Craig, prosecutors will again rely on Gates, whose credibility was repeatedly assailed by Manafort's attorneys. They alleged that he'd engaged in an extramarital affair funded with money stolen from Manafort, lied to prosecutors and may have submitted false expenses to Trump's campaign committee while working for it.Read More: Manafort Charged in New York Just After Federal SentencingMueller's team uncovered evidence that in 2012, Manafort hired Craig and Skadden to develop a report refuting criticism of the Ukrainian government's prosecution of former President Yulia Tymoshenko.One Skadden associate confessed to lying to investigators and the firm admitted it should have registered as an agent of the Ukrainian government. Skadden paid $4.6 million, the amount it earned from the Ukraine-related work, to settle the matter.The case cast a shadow on Craig, who managed the project. He left Skadden in 2018."Lawyers are starting to worry -- and maybe they should have worried earlier -- about the boundaries of their legal work" and whether it's subject to FARA, said Claire Finkelstein, a University of Pennsylvania law professor.U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson recently narrowed the case against Craig, throwing out of one of the counts accusing him of lying to the government about his lobbying activities.Read More: In Craig Indictment, a Top Law Firm Tries to Hide LobbyingThe government had charged Craig with making false statements in, and omitting "material facts" from, a letter he sent to the Justice Department's FARA unit in 2013. Jackson threw out the charge last week, saying it wasn't clear exactly which documents are covered by the law.Now, the prosecution's case rests on whether it can prove Craig lied and withheld information about the extent of his work for the Ukrainian government. The April 11 indictment accuses Craig of drafting "false and misleading" descriptions of his international media contacts for distribution to Skadden and the FARA unit, and of omitting key facts about his actions to further Ukraine's public relations push.Read More: Senators Aim to Add Teeth to Law Used in Mueller's Russia ProbeWashington attorney David Laufman said the recent spate of indictments was the result of increased enforcement efforts he supervised while working for the Justice Department's Counter-intelligence and Export Section -- which oversaw the FARA unit -- starting in 2014.The unit began sending out what he called "more targeted" inquiries and more substantial requests for documents, sometimes prompted by the contents of news reports and other sources."There came a time when we took a fresh look at how we were meeting our responsibilities and assessed that we could be doing more," he said, acknowledging there had been only handful of such cases in the years before his tenure.Laufman oversaw initial inquiries that later led to criminal cases against Manafort and Gates, former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn and businessman Bijan Kian. Laufman's efforts have continued with the creation of a new section deputy chief's position, filled by Manafort prosecutor Brandon Van Grack, to oversee the FARA unit."I wound up giving it a great deal more attention than I anticipated I would," Laufman said of FARA. He left the department last year for Washington law firm Wiggin and Dana LLP."There is considerably greater skittishness" now among those who work at the fringe of FARA registration requirements as a result of the prosecutions, Laufman said. "That spawns greater registration."The case is U.S. v. Craig, 19-cr-125, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).To contact the reporters on this story: Jacob Rund in Arlington, VA at jrund2@bloomberg.net;Andrew Harris in Washington at aharris16@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, ;Seth Stern at sstern22@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg, Peter JeffreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| From D-Day beaches to the Champs-Elysees Posted: 11 Aug 2019 07:58 PM PDT  Paris (AFP) - It took less than three months of fighting from the Allied troop landings on France's Normandy beaches for Paris to be liberated from the Nazis, whose surrender in 1945 ended World War II in Europe.
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| German exports to Iran halve in first half as U.S. sanctions bite Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:03 AM PDT ![German exports to Iran halve in first half as U.S. sanctions bite]( "German exports to Iran halve in first half as U.S. sanctions bite") German exports to Iran fell by nearly half in the first six months of 2019, data showed on Monday, suggesting companies are scaling back business ties with Tehran to avoid trouble with the United States after Washington reimposed sanctions. Sales to Iran plunged by 48% to 678 million euros ($758.8 million) from January through June year-on-year, data from the Federal Statistics Office reviewed by Reuters showed. Imports from Iran declined by 43% to nearly 110 million euros.
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| Indians mobilise for 'resettlement' amid warnings over Hindu nationalist occupation of Kashmir Posted: 10 Aug 2019 11:00 PM PDT  Rohit Kachroo can still remember flinging open his backdoor and playing on the banks of the vast River Jhelum dissecting the city of Srinagar, the capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. But recollections of his home town stop age four-and-a-half when he was forced to flee to Delhi with three generations of his family as brutal majority Muslim mobs ran riot. "I hope that no child in the world has to see what I have seen," Rohit said. Rohit, 33, is one of many Pandit Hindus now mobilising for the 'rightful' return home after Narendra Modi revoked Kashmir's special status, tearing up rules that had barred outsiders from owning land there. But fears are growing that Mr Modi, whose Hindu nationalism won him an extraordinary re-election in May, is exploiting the plight of the Pandits to encourage Hindus across India to follow suit - leading to a Palestine-style occupation that will cement a new 'unified' nation. Police personnel struggle to detain an activist of Jammu and Kashmir Youth Congress Credit: RAKESH BAKSHI/AFP Across the border in nuclear-armed Pakistan, president Imran Khan has warned of ethnic cleansing, while militants are already plotting a renewed insurgency. For now Kashmir lies in darkness after Mr Modi ordered an unprecedented militarised lockdown, curfew and communications blackout as tensions threaten to boil over. Mr Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party ended self rule in Kashmir for the first time since 1947 on Monday. He scrapped Article 35A that banned non-permanent residents of Kashmir from buying land and property or seeking employment in the state. In a rare interview with western press by a BJP official, Ram Madhav, the party secretary, told The Sunday Telegraph the government was already looking to set-up special territories in Kashmir for returning Hindus, adding that all legal channels were now open. "Someone who has the key for his home could claim it and if someone stalls him he could go to the police or the court to get his property back," added Krishna Saagar Rao, Chief Spokesperson at the BJP, citing party ideology. He said that new powers giving greater control over the state through the national police force will make it safe for returning Hindus. A security guard stands on a street in downtown Srinagar amid a communications blackout Credit: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP Googlesearches for "land rates in Kashmir" and "plots in Kashmir" skyrocketed this week across India suggesting residents were seriously considering making the move once tensions diffused. A hoax real estate advert was also widely circulated on social media, which seemingly offered land for sale in Kashmir while non-Kashmiri Indians requested the phone number of estate agents in Srinagar on Twitter. "What do you think would be [the] rate of a 200 square yard plot in [a] decent colony of Kashmir, which ANY INDIAN CAN BUY?" speculated lawyer and political analyst Ishkaran Singh Bhandari. Womens' rights groups condemned a deluge of social media posts from Indian men who celebrated the removal of Article 35A arguing that it was their chance to marry a Kashmiri woman, favoured by some for their fairer complexion. In Pakistan, which maintains its claim to rule Kashmir in its entirety, Pervez Musharaf, the former president, accused Mr Modi of emulating Israeli policy by annexing land for resettlement, while Raja Farooq Haider Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, warned "there will be a great unrest in Kashmir, there will be killings in Kashmir" if mass Hindu migration caused demographic change. The two countries currently govern half of Kashmir each, split along a heavily militarised Line of Control over which artillery fire breaks out almost daily. "Establishing Hindu settlements is a nefarious act to change the fabric of Kashmir from a Muslim majority to a Hindu majority," said Mr Musharaf, the former President of Pakistan. Kashmir | Read more Mr Khan meanwhile suspended all bilateral trade with Delhi, expelled the Indian High Commissioner and reported its neighbour to the United Nations Security Council. Kashmiris living under the current lockdown told The Sunday Telegraph that tension was already high. Residents said the strict curfew meant they would be shot on sight if they left their homes, adding that many were starving as they are unable to access food and dying in the streets as they were refused access to hospitals. Up to 500 people - including university professors, business leaders and political activists - have also allegedly been detained by the Indian authorities. At home in India Mr Modi is under fire from opposition Congress party who have accused the prime minister of "trivialising Kashmiri Pandit's undoubted right to return". "By doing so the BJP has taken their pain and converted it into a theatre of affliction for their own hateful, selfish purposes," LaToya Ferns, a spokesperson for the opposition, said. Mr Rao, the BJP spokesperson dismissed the "highly preposterous, wishful and speculative" allegations. In a stirring address to Indians on Thursday, Modi justified his actions in Kashmir arguing that the removal of Article 370 would "rid Jammu and Kashmir of terror and separatism." Unsurprisingly, emotional Hindu Pandits welcomed the BJP's policy. Their plight is still fresh in the minds of many. The Pandit community, which made up 5 per cent of Kashmir's population, were forced to flee in the mid-1980s after mobs belonging to the majority-Muslim community began killing, raping women and damaging their temples and properties. "Even at that age you do understand what is murder and you do understand what is rape," Rohit said. The brutality peaked on 19 January 1990 when mosques in Kashmir began broadcasting messages that Pandits should either leave the state, convert to Islam or be killed. The exact number of those who fled is contested but it is thought to constitute almost the entire community, as high as 150,000 people. "If anyone can settle us back, it's Prime Minister Modi," said Renuka Dhar, now an Associate Professor at Delhi University, "no-one else has ever shown the desire or gumption." For Kachroo, a historical wrong metered out to his people can finally be righted. His mother has kept the key to their beautiful lost bungalow ever since they fled Srinagar. She might now be finally going home.
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| Cosby appeal tests other accusers' testimony in #MeToo era Posted: 11 Aug 2019 05:36 AM PDT  When three Pennsylvania Superior Court judges gather Monday to hear Bill Cosby's appeal of his sexual assault conviction, more than the aging comedian's freedom may be at stake. As the first celebrity convicted in the #MeToo era, the court scrutiny of the case could cement — or threaten — the movement itself. "If it's reversed, I worry that it's going to play into the narrative that stories of people subjected to gender-based violence are not going to be believed," said Professor Margaret Johnson, who teaches gender law at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
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| Chinese Uighur refugee fears deportation from Turkey Posted: 11 Aug 2019 07:04 PM PDT  A Chinese Muslim refugee has told AFP he is terrified he may be sent back to China after being detained in a deportation centre near Istanbul for more than two months. The Uighur community in northwest China has faced an intense crackdown in recent years, with an estimated one million mostly Muslim ethnic minorities held in internment camps that Beijing calls "vocational education centres". Turkey has been the only Muslim-majority nation to criticise China's policies and offered refuge to tens of thousands of Uighur refugees.
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| United Airlines passenger accused of placing camera in first-class bathroom Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:17 AM PDT  The FBI has accused a man of placing a camera in the first-class bathroom of a United Airlines flight earlier this year from San Diego to Houston.
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| Judge orders neo-Nazi website to pay black university graduate nearly £600,000 for racist ‘troll storm’ Posted: 11 Aug 2019 06:29 AM PDT  A federal judge on Friday awarded more than $700,000 (£580,000) to a former American University student government president who accused the founder of a well-known neo-Nazi website of directing his followers to threaten her with racist online messages.Taylor Dumpson, the first black woman to serve as student government president at AU, in 2017 sued Andrew Anglin, the founder and editor of the Daily Stormer, alleging he initiated a racist "troll storm" against her that made her fear for her life and disrupted her ability to pursue her education.Friday's decision, in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, may mark the first time a court has ruled that racist online trolling activity can interfere with one's equal access to a public accommodation, according to Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which represented Ms Dumpson."We think that this essentially opens up a new avenue to attack the dangerous activities of white supremacists in our country," Clarke said in an interview. "I would expect that other litigators will be able to use the ruling in this case to seek justice on behalf of other victims of hate crimes."According to Ms Dumpson's lawsuit, the barrage of hateful messages began in May 2017, amid news reports that a masked man had hung nooses with bananas inscribed with racist messages near the AU student government offices.The bananas, which were found a day after Ms Dumpson's inauguration as student government president, included references to her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, whose membership is predominantly African American.Anglin posted an article on the Daily Stormer, writing: "No one feels safe around bananas." He then published Ms Dumpson's name and photo and direct links to her Facebook account and the AU student government Twitter account and called on his followers to "troll storm" her, according to the court opinion.Threatening messages began appearing on Ms Dumpson's Facebook account and other social media associated with the AU student government. One man, Brian Andrew Ade, who was also listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, posted nine racist tweets, comparing Ms Dumpson to a gorilla and a chimp and calling her a "sheboon."According to the lawsuit, Ms Dumpson began fearing for her life. She felt unsafe walking around campus, taking public transportation or leaving her house at night. She started carrying pepper spray and taking Ubers to get around. Her classwork started to suffer, and she dropped a minor in sociology.Ms Dumpson said she started having flashbacks and nightmares. She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, an eating disorder, depression and anxiety. She lost more than 15% of her body weight "from the mental trauma stemming from the incident," according to court documents.Ms Dumpson alleged Anglin and Ade intentionally inflicted emotional distress on her and "interfered with her enjoyment of places of public accommodation" because she no longer felt safe on the AU campus. The judge agreed with Ms Dumpson's lawyers' argument that because the AU campus is accessible to the public, it should be considered a "public accommodation."Because Anglin and Ade failed to respond to the complaint, the court granted Ms Dumpson default judgment. Judge Rosemary M. Collyer of the US District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the defendants to pay more than $101,000 (£84,000) in compensatory damages, $500,000 (£415,000) in punitive damages and more than $124,000 (£103,000) in attorney's fees. She also entered a restraining order against them.Anglin and Ade could not be reached for comment, and it is unclear whether they will follow the judge's order. The lawsuit also listed Anglin's Moonbase Holdings limited liability company as a defendant.Ms Dumpson is now in law school and hopes to use her law degree to "fight for justice," Clarke said.Friday's ruling comes just weeks after a federal judge ordered Anglin to pay more than $14 million (£11.6 million) in damages to Tanya Gersh, a real estate agent in Whitefish, Montana, who was flooded with phone calls, text messages, emails and social media posts that contained death threats and anti-Semitic slurs.Like in Ms Dumpson's case, Anglin posted Ms Gersh's contact information online and encouraged his followers to harass her and her family after Ms Gersh was accused of extorting the mother of white nationalist Richard Spencer. "Tell them you are sickened by their Jew agenda," Anglin wrote.Ms Gersh said Spencer's mother, Sherry, had reached out to her for advice after residents of their town had discussed protesting outside a commercial building she owned. Ms Gersh said she suggested Sherry Spencer sell the building and disavow her son's views. Sherry Spencer accused Ms Gersh of threatening her into selling. The trolling began soon after."I was frightened to the point that we couldn't think straight," Ms Gersh told reporters. "We talked about waking our children in the middle of the night - to run from Nazis."The Washington Post
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| Trump’s Top Energy Regulator Invites Execs to Coal Country Posted: 12 Aug 2019 03:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump's chief energy regulator has invited a group of environmentalists, energy executives and other industry leaders to the heart of Coal Country for a summit on "the future of American energy."Neil Chatterjee, the Republican chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and a longstanding champion of the coal industry, recently sent invitations for the Oct. 21 summit. The event comes as the independent agency faces mounting criticism that it's become more political under his charge, and as high ranking officials in the Trump administration continue to push for action to aid the coal industry.Held in partnership with the University of Kentucky, the location was chosen because "it's a pivotal time in the Bluegrass state and a historic moment as we continue to experience changes in our generation mix," according to the invitation seen by Bloomberg.Chatterjee's office confirmed details of the invitation, saying in a statement that "the Chairman liked the idea of getting outside of the 'DC bubble' to provide a different landscape and format for these important conversations." Confirmed guests include Tyson Slocum, energy director for advocacy group Public Citizen; Abby Hopper, chief executive of the Solar Energy Industries Association; and Joe Blount, chief executive of Colonial Pipeline, according to a statement.Chatterjee, a Kentucky native who formerly advised Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on energy policy, has been criticized for promoting policies that favor coal, including an ill-fated proposal to curb coal plant retirements by paying generators for having fuel on-site. Members of the commission are supposed to be fuel-neutral. In 2017, the agency shot down a Trump administration bid to bail out money-losing coal plants.The invitation characterizes the event as a "bipartisan, wide-ranging energy dialogue" in which participants can share their perspectives on the evolving energy landscape, leadership and innovation. Chatterjee's also organized an entire weekend of activities in addition to the actual program, including a reception at the university president's home on the Sunday before and an event at the Keeneland Race Track.To contact the reporters on this story: Stephen Cunningham in Washington at scunningha10@bloomberg.net;Lynn Doan in San Francisco at ldoan6@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Marino at dmarino4@bloomberg.net, Catherine Traywick, Carlos CaminadaFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| No deal announced as US, Taliban wrap up latest talks Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:05 AM PDT  The latest round of talks between the Taliban and the United States ended early Monday without any sign a peace deal had been reached for Afghanistan, as both sides said they would consult with their leaderships on the next steps. A Taliban spokesman had said last week that this eighth round of talks would conclude with a deal to end the nearly 18-year war, America's longest. The two sides have been discussing an agreement under which U.S. forces would withdraw from Afghanistan and the Taliban would guarantee the country would not revert to being a launch pad for global terrorist attacks.
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| The 7 Best GPS Apps for Tackling the Outdoors Posted: 11 Aug 2019 01:00 PM PDT |
| Viral clip of Russian policeman punching female protester stirs anger Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:28 AM PDT ![Viral clip of Russian policeman punching female protester stirs anger]( "Viral clip of Russian policeman punching female protester stirs anger") Video footage of a Russian police officer punching a young woman in the stomach has stirred anger among many Russians who believe the authorities have used excessive force to disperse weeks of political demonstrations in Moscow. The clip, filmed on Saturday and later circulated online by Russian celebrities with millions of followers, shows the moment two helmeted riot policemen drag the woman, Daria Sosnovskaya, to a waiting police bus. Sosnovskaya, 26, is seen struggling to break free and trying to trip up one of the police officers who responds by punching her in the stomach, prompting one of the reporters filming the incident to sarcastically call the policeman "a hero".
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| Mocking suspect's hairstyle could get you prosecuted, police warn Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:05 AM PDT  Police have warned social media users they could face arrest if they "troll" a wanted drug dealer by mocking his distinctive hairstyle. An online appeal to catch the criminal has resulted in tens of thousands of people posting joke comments. Jermaine Taylor, 21, is wanted for breaching his licence conditions after being released from prison in December 2018. Gwent Police launched the social media appeal to find the convicted drug dealer, but it backfired when people began making jokes about his hairstyle, with one saying it had been "pushed back more times than Brexit". The picture shows Taylor with a large, bald forehead and two tufts of hair sticking up. Twitter users joked: "His forehead is bigger than his future," and "that hairline goes further back than Woolworths". Another quipped: "Looks like his hairline is on the run too." The large number of comments prompted Gwent Police to warn users that posting abusive material could be against the law. Many users seemed undeterred, however, with one adding: "He was last seen in town - police are combing the area," and another joking: "He's vanished into thin hair." In a statement, Gwent Police warned users against online bullying. "Please remember that harassing, threatening and abusing people on social media can be against the law," the force said. "Our advice is to be as careful on social media as you would in any other form of communication. If you say something about someone which is grossly offensive or is of an indecent, obscene or menacing character, then you could be investigated by the police." Taylor was jailed for three years at Cardiff Crown Court in September 2017 over the supply of cocaine.
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| Girl, 3, attacked with machete in Philadelphia, police say; Mother arrested Posted: 12 Aug 2019 04:52 AM PDT  A mother is now behind bars after police said she attacked her 3-year-old child with a machete in Philadelphia on Sunday night.
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| Call waiting: Kashmiris queue for two-minute phone access Posted: 10 Aug 2019 10:46 PM PDT  Outside a guarded government office in Indian Kashmir's main city, an interminable queue forms every day for a near-priceless opportunity: a two-minute phone call to the outside world. Residents of Srinagar and the Kashmir Valley have been starved of phone and internet use for a week as India snuffs out opposition to its military lockdown in the Himalayan region. Only two mobile phones with an outside line are on offer in the deputy commissioner's office, but so desperate are people to contact families in the rest of India and overseas that they come from across Srinagar and beyond to wait in line.
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| Versace apologies in flap over T-shirts sold in China Posted: 11 Aug 2019 10:39 AM PDT  Italian fashion house Versace apologized Sunday in China for selling T-shirts that it said attached incorrect country names to cities, after being attacked on social media for challenging China's territorial integrity. Versace did not identify the T-shirt in its own post on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media site, but the Global Times newspaper said the item mislabeled Hong Kong and Macao as countries. Both are former European colonies that were returned to China in the late 1990s.
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| Bernie Sanders calls out Republican ‘hypocrisy’ over reproductive rights, vowing to codify Roe v Wade in Iowa Posted: 11 Aug 2019 06:32 AM PDT  Bernie Sanders says he is tired of Republican "hypocrisy", in which members of the party claim to abhor government meddling in the lives of Americans, but insist upon legislating what women can and cannot do with their bodies.The presidential candidate laid into the Republicans during a speech in Des Moines on Saturday night, where he was greeted by dozens of Iowa caucus goers and members of NARAL, a pro-choice advocacy group that holds forums for presidential candidates.And, the Vermont senator said that Democrats must go on the "offensive" in fighting for abortion rights, to counteract what he described as a well-funded attack determined to undermine Roe v Wade, the US Supreme Court case that established women's right to have an abortion."How hypocritical can they be?" Mr Sanders asked those inside of the Hilton Embassy ballroom just a short drive from the Iowa State Fair."Right now, all across the country, there is a well-funded and extreme attack on the right of women to control their own body and their own future, and we've seen that right here in Iowa," he said. "We are here today to say as loudly and clearly as we can that we will not go backwards. We absolutely must stand up to these attacks together."Mr Sanders' speech came just a day before he was set to take part in that fair's annual "Political Soapbox", where candidates seeking the support of Iowa flock to make their cases from a slightly raised stage, surrounded by hay.And Mr Sanders took to the stage after most of the other candidates seeking the Democratic nomination, who number almost two dozen.Earlier on Saturday, for instance, Elizabeth Warren delighted fairgoers with her calls for "big systemic change" to the American political system, drawing what to that point had been the largest showing of the whole affair — much larger than the turnout for Joe Biden on Thursday, and noticeably bigger than the crowd Kamala Harris had attracted earlier in the day.In the Hilton ballroom in downtown Des Moines, supporters who listened to Mr Sanders promise to codify Roe, and to repeal the Hyde Amendment, said its his consistency that stands out to them — and why they could consider supporting him against those other candidates.To prove the point, one speaker who held the mic before Mr Sanders even recited a 1993 quote of his, arguing for women's rights.Pierse Coen, 19, a college student from Nebraska, said Mr Sanders calling out Republicans on such an important issue is necessary, given the stakes."I think it's important that he calls Republicans out for their hypocrisy," she said, noting she would expect a similar sort of a check on Democrats.And, she said his experience speaks for itself: "I like his consistency. He doesn't waver. He just stays strong."Makayla Meyer, 15, a Des Moines high school student, said she is attracted to Mr Sanders' unapologetic push for his values."There's a lot of people who say America can't be a socialist government, but Bernie stands by who he is," she said.Jake Atkinson, 23, a recent university graduate who was visiting from London, said that the anger he sees in Mr Sanders can speak to people on a broad range of issues, helping people connect them and understand the bigger picture — and thinks that's how the Democrats can win the next presidential election."He really nails the intersectionality of all the issues, and how they're all related," Mr Atkinson said. "I think that's how we beat Republicans in 2020."
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| I Got 75 Miles Per Gallon in a Range Rover Posted: 11 Aug 2019 07:00 AM PDT  The new P400e plug-in hybrid has 398 horsepower and can get outrageous mileage—so why am I not excited about that?
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| Warnings over 'Texodus' as Republicans flee after mass shooting Posted: 10 Aug 2019 09:42 AM PDT  Democrats are targeting Texas in the 2020 election as a "Texodus" of Republican members of Congress deciding not to stand again is already underway. It has long been anticipated that the changing demographics of Texas, a Republican bastion with a quickly rising Hispanic population, could turn the state "blue". But the process may be accelerated by reaction to the mass shooting in El Paso that claimed 22 lives, and injured dozens more, on Aug 3. On Saturday it emerged that the gunman, Patrick Crusius, 21 told police he was "targeting Mexicans". He carried out the shooting a a Walmart store popular with Hispanic families. Ahead of the 2020 presidential race there has been much focus on whether Democrats can retake "rust belt" states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin, that Donald Trump won in 2016. Trump came under attack for consoling the family of a baby who lost both his parents in the shooting, which many say was inspired by Trump's rhtoric Credit: FLOTUS/WHITE HOUSE But if the Democrat nominee won Texas they could take the White House without any of those rust belt states. Texas has 38 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win, the second largest of any state. It has not voted for a Democrat presidential candidate since 1976. Mr Trump's margin of victory was down to nine points in 2016, despite little Democrat campaigning. Current polls put both Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, the two leading Democrat contenders, slightly ahead of Mr Trump. In the last two weeks four Republican members of Congress announced they will not seek re-election in 2020, when congressional elections happen on the same day as the presidential vote. That brought the total stepping down to 11, a third of the entire Texas congressional delegation. Further announcements are expected. Those standing down include Will Hurd, 41, the only black Republican congressman in America. He faced losing his district, which has a majority Hispanic population. The latest congressman to stand down was Kenny Marchant, whose precipitous decline in the Dallas suburbs has alarmed Republican strategists. In 2014 he won by 33 points, but that was down to just three points in the 2018 midterm elections. In presidential votes the district voted for Mitt Romney by 22 points in 2012, but for Mr Trump by only six points in 2016. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has ramped up its efforts, establishing offices in Texas, gleefully mocking the "Texodus," and vowing to submit Republicans to a "long and expensive 15 months." Zac McCrary, a Democratic pollster, said: "Trump has really turned out to be an accelerant for energising young voters, and voters of colour. At the same time Trump has so deeply alienated suburban white voters in numbers that are mind-boggling." Amid the doubts among moderates in the Texas suburbs Republicans are gearing up for a fight. Glen Bolger, a Republcian pollster, said: "You can win suburban seats in Texas as a Republican, you can win suburban seats anywhere as a Republican. It's just harder and you have to be better prepared, raise more money and be more aggressive. These are no longer handed to you on a silver platter." However, the exploding Hispanic population, traditionally Democrat, presents a perhaps even greater problem. There are 29 million people in Texas. Last year it added nine Hispanic people for every white one. At current estimates Hispanics, of whom there are currently 11.4 million, will overtake whites as the largest demographic group in 2022. Voting enthusiasm is also intensifying, and in parts of Texas the Hispanic vote was up over 100 per cent in the 2018 midterm elections. El Paso, the scene of the mass shooting, is a city of 700,000 people which is 80 per cent Hispanic. Beto O'Rourke, the Democrat presidential candidate who is from El Paso, stayed there this week, rather than joining other candidates campaigning in Iowa. Mr O'Rourke has been vocal this week calling Mr Trump a "white supremacist" and declaring that the country has "never been more divided or more highly polarised." Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said: " Trump has roiled the political waters all over the country, and in Texas, he has destabilised the traditional Republican majority in Texas." Mr Trump traveled to El Paso on Wednesday where he met with staff at the hospital treating the injured. A photograph was later released of Melania Trump, the first lady, holding Paul Anchondo, a two-month-old baby orphaned in the attack. In the image Mr Trump gave a thumbs up sign, which his opponents on social media criticised. However, Tito Anchondo, the baby's uncle, who was also in the photograph, defended the president, and said he "definitely" felt consoled after speaking to him. Mr Anchondo said: "I think people are misconstruing President Trump's ideas. My brother was very supportive of Trump. He was just there as a human being, consoling us and giving his condolences."
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| Typhoon Lekima death toll in eastern China rises to 32 Posted: 11 Aug 2019 02:15 AM PDT  The death toll from Typhoon Lekima rose to 32 in eastern China, local authorities said Sunday, as rescue teams worked to find more than a dozen people still missing after the storm triggered a landslide and forced the evacuation of more than a million residents. The monster storm hit Wenling city early Saturday, packing winds of nearly 190 kilometres per hour (120 miles per hour) and generating waves several metres high along the coast. At least 18 people were killed in a landslide triggered by torrential downpours in the municipality of Wenzhou, around 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of Shanghai, national broadcaster CCTV said Saturday.
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| John Oliver Bakes a Very, Very Large Cake to Annoy Turkmenistan and Guinness World Records Posted: 12 Aug 2019 12:00 AM PDT  While also taking a jab at the Guinness World Records
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| Burger King employee draws pig on order placed by a New Mexico police officer Posted: 11 Aug 2019 07:08 AM PDT  The fast-food restaurant chain has fired five employees following the incident.
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| Turmoil calms as Puerto Rico governor turns to policy Posted: 12 Aug 2019 08:57 AM PDT  Puerto Rico's political turmoil seemed to be at least temporarily easing on Monday with attention shifting to policy rather than protests following the replacement governor's move to suspend a hurricane recovery contract. In one of her first moves as governor, Wanda Vázquez announced late Sunday that she was scrutinizing a pending $450,000 contract that is part of the program to rebuild and strengthen the island's power grid, which was destroyed by Hurricane Maria nearly two years ago. "There is no room in this administration for unreasonable expenses," said Vázquez, who on Wednesday became Puerto Rico's third governor in a week following massive protests that resulted in political turmoil.
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| UAE-backed separatists pull back after seizing Yemen's Aden Posted: 11 Aug 2019 12:45 PM PDT  Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in the southern port city of Aden. Both the southern separatists and the government forces are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led military coalition that's been battling the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015.
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| Teen dies from pit bull attacks while trespassing in Texas backyard Posted: 12 Aug 2019 09:06 AM PDT  The incident took place early Saturday morning as Irving, Texas police arrived to the scene in Irving. The teen was trespassing, the owner claimed.
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| Over 3,800 workers at Tyson Foods beef plant in Kansas out of work after fire Posted: 11 Aug 2019 11:29 AM PDT ![Over 3,800 workers at Tyson Foods beef plant in Kansas out of work after fire]( "Over 3,800 workers at Tyson Foods beef plant in Kansas out of work after fire") Tyson Foods spokesman Worth Sparkman said the plant would remain closed indefinitely and there were no details yet on the cause of the fire and or the extent of the damage. Independent trader Dan Norcini said the cattle market could respond negatively to news of the fire, but the impact would depend on how long the plant stays closed. Tyson said in a statement that it would meet with workers in shifts at the facility on Monday to answer their questions.
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| We Got a Tire-Squealing Ride in a 2020 Porsche Taycan. Here's What We Learned Posted: 11 Aug 2019 03:01 PM PDT  Porsche's electric sports sedan is almost here and feels ready to impress.
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| Pelosi’s Litigation-First Impeachment Strategy Has Its Own Risks Posted: 12 Aug 2019 01:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's strategy of slow-walking moves to impeach President Donald Trump depends on fighting first in the courts to see how much more evidence Democrats can get.The reality, though, is that litigation may take months or even years to play out, and pressure to act is building as time goes on. The courts may not resolve some issues by late autumn, the deadline House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler has floated to make a decision on filing articles of impeachment before election year arrives."I don't believe we should depend on a third branch of government to decide whether we need to see documents and hear from witnesses," Democratic Representative Gerald Connolly of Virginia said in an interview.On Thursday, Connolly, chairman of the Oversight subcommittee on government operations, joined the growing ranks of House Democrats -- by some counts now more than half of the 235-member caucus -- who have called for impeaching the president or at least opening a formal impeachment inquiry. Other lawmakers say they're hearing demands for impeachment at town halls in their districts during the August congressional break.Pelosi has long made clear her concern that impeaching the president would only backfire politically because the Republican-led Senate wouldn't take the next step to remove him from office. But she has pushed back on suggestions that she's trying to stall by waiting to see what the courts decide on congressional demands for evidence."No, I'm not trying to run out the clock," Pelosi told reporters late last month. But she said since former Special Counsel Robert Mueller wasn't given broader authority as part of his Russia probe to investigate matters including Trump's finances and personal business, that's where congressional oversight comes in."And that is what we are doing in the courts," Pelosi said, adding that this process "isn't endless."Already BegunSome House Democrats argue that they are already pursuing an impeachment inquiry through the investigative work of committees -- and they're making that point through the arguments they're now advancing in court.The House Judiciary Committee filed an application on July 27 to unseal grand jury testimony, explicitly citing the House's need "to have access to all the relevant facts and consider whether to exercise its full Article I powers, including a constitutional power of the utmost gravity — approval of articles of impeachment."A new lawsuit filed Wednesday by Nadler seeks to require testimony before the committee by former White House Counsel Don McGahn -- one of Mueller's key witnesses on alleged efforts by Trump to obstruct the special counsel's work."This is formal impeachment proceedings -- we are investigating all the evidence," Nadler said Thursday on CNN.His committee's suit urged the court to move quickly so that the current Congress, which ends in January 2021, has the option of pursuing impeachment."The Judiciary Committee requires a substantial period in advance of that date to perform its constitutional duties," according to the filing.Other pending litigation includes the House Oversight Committee's efforts to get Trump's financial statements and other reports prepared by his accountant; the Financial Services and Intelligence committees' request to obtain records from Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp., long-time Trump lenders, to investigate matters including potential foreign influence on the president and his family; and the Ways and Means Committee's demand for Trump's tax returns."They want to get this testimony and whatever documents they can get as soon as possible," Saikrishna Prakash, a law professor at the University of Virginia, said of House Democrats. "But the courts do not necessarily act on the same timetable that the parties want them to."In instances where federal district courts might initially side with Democrats over the administration's opposition, the White House may adopt a strategy of delay, Prakash said. The administration can seek stays of rulings, as likely appeals are filed with the circuit court and continue up the judicial chain all the way to the Supreme Court.Price of DefianceSome Democrats suggest that all it would take to push the House to impeach the president would be defiance of a court ruling that didn't go his way.House Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings of Maryland -- one of Pelosi's top lieutenants -- said this week that he stands with the speaker for now. But, he added, "the day that any administration disobeys a court order, then I'm for impeachment."Past presidents, including George W. Bush and Barack Obama, mounted years-long fights in the courts against congressional subpoenas. But those conflicts didn't have the sweep of Trump's pledge that "we're fighting all the subpoenas" from the House.For now, Pelosi believes the pending legal efforts must be made to acquire additional evidence that would build the case for impeachment beyond what the Mueller report provides, according to a person familiar with her thinking."I've been sympathetic to her point of view," Connolly said. "I still respect her view -- that we cannot rush headlong into this."Connolly said he believes the 2020 congressional elections are playing a role in Pelosi's slow-go strategy. Democrats will confront a tough task holding on to the gains they made in 2018 in Republican-leaning districts, including in areas where Trump remains popular. Many of the party progressives who have been leading the push for impeachment don't face that challenge in their safer, bluer districts."If you define this as a political decision, you don't do it," Connolly said. "Too risky. The backlash is too big.""But if you define this issue as, 'I took an oath to uphold the Constitution, how do I ignore this, in keeping with the oath I took?'" he said, "if this does not rise to the level of impeachable offenses, what pray tell, in the future will?"Ashley Etienne, a Pelosi spokeswoman, said: "There's not a full appreciation that the only way to get answers is through the courts at this point. Her point is this is not about politics. It's about patriotism."Moderates at HomeAs House members meet their constituents during their six-week break, some moderate Democrats who have opposed opening an impeachment inquiry are hinting they may be more open to the idea on their return.At a town hall in Mason, Michigan, Representative Elissa Slotkin told an audience split on the issue this week that if Trump administration officials continued to refuse to answer subpoenas in September, the House could take "the next steps. "Other House members -- even those who still aren't calling for impeachment -- say they now expect Pelosi and the House to take some action before long."It would not surprise me if we see something happening in October," said Representative John Larson, who hasn't yet called for impeachment or for opening an inquiry.Angry constituents he met at a town hall in West Hartford on Tuesday night demanded that the House take action, he said.About half of the 200 attendees, some with banners blaring "Impeach!" were clear in their stance, he said, and many in the room turned a deaf ear to his efforts to defend the "circumspect" legal approaches being taken by Pelosi to first obtain more evidence to build the case against Trump."They are infuriated with the president,"' he said. "They don't want to hear anything but to impeach him."\--With assistance from Erik Wasson.To contact the reporter on this story: Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert, Anna EdgertonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Brazil ex-billionaire Batista out of jail: officials Posted: 11 Aug 2019 08:30 AM PDT  Once one of the world's richest men, Brazilian entrepreneur Eike Batista was out of jail Sunday after having been detained for violating terms of his house arrest, prison officials said. Batista, 62, had been under house arrest pending an appeal of a 30-year jail sentence. Then on Thursday he was arrested in Rio de Janeiro on suspicion of insider trading and money laundering, the news portal G1 said.
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| Electric scooter victims to sue Paris authorities as they demand end to 'anarchy in the streets' Posted: 12 Aug 2019 07:22 AM PDT  Victims of electric scooter accidents presented demands for stricter rules to end "anarchy in the streets" in a meeting with French Transport Ministry officials on Monday. Leaders of a group of about 60 victims said they planned to sue the Paris authorities for negligence over the rising number of people being injured as electric scooters, or "trottinettes", gain popularity. Paris and other French cities are plagued by accidents, often causing serious injuries, as scooter riders collide with pedestrians or other vehicles. Britain's first death in an electric scooter crash occurred last month in south London. Emily Hartridge, a TV presenter and YouTube star, was killed in a collision with a lorry. Electric scooters have become a runaway success in less than a year in France, with 20,000 now available for hire in Paris, but pedestrians are increasingly concerned about the danger they pose. The law | Electric scooter regulations in the UK The group says a 20 kmph (12 mph) speed limit and fines of €135 (£125) for riding e-scooters on the pavement are insufficient. They want to make helmets and rider insurance compulsory, and force scooter hire companies to require renters to produce ID so they can be traced if they plough into pedestrians, cause accidents or ride on pavements. The victims' group claims that projections based on data from three Paris hospitals suggest that up to 170 people a day may be suffering injuries in France. Arnaud Kielbasa, whose wife and seven-week-old baby were hurt when an electric scooter ran into them in Paris, said: "We are not against electric scooters but we want the authorities to end to the current chaos and anarchy in the streets." A 30-year-old man was killed after being hit by a motorbike while riding an e-scooter on a motorway near Paris on Friday. The third death linked to e-scooters in the Paris area in four months increased calls for tighter regulation. The rider was not wearing a helmet and was reportedly in the fast lane when the motorbike hit him from behind. The motorcyclist was seriously injured. Riding electric scooters on motorways is banned in France.
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| How to Save Money When Buying Replacement Tires Posted: 11 Aug 2019 03:20 AM PDT  Nearly 2 out of 3 car owners are turning to alternative tire brands and models when buying replacement tires for their car, SUV, or pickup truck. In addition to replacing tires out of necessity, ...
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| Typhoon Lekima death toll reaches 33 in China Posted: 11 Aug 2019 07:02 AM PDT  The death toll from a powerful typhoon that hit southeastern China rose to 33 on Sunday, as rescue workers used rubber dinghies to evacuate stranded people as swift currents swept by homes. China's emergency broadcasting network said that 16 people were still missing in Zhejiang province, where 32 died. Typhoon Lekima triggered landslides and floods after making landfall in Zhejiang early Saturday, about 300 kilometers (190 miles) south of Shanghai.
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