| North Korea calls Pompeo 'diehard toxin,' says ready for dialogue or standoff with U.S. Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:04 PM PDT  North Korea's top diplomat said on Friday that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was a "diehard toxin" who only complicates denuclearisation talks and North Korea was ready for both dialogue and standoff. Talks aimed at dismantling the North's nuclear and missile programs have stalled since a failed second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in February. Since the Vietnam summit, North Korea has demanded that Pompeo be replaced with a "more mature" person, while lauding the rapport built between Kim and Trump.
|
| Iranian oil tanker pursued by US says it is going to Turkey Posted: 24 Aug 2019 12:33 AM PDT  An Iranian-flagged oil tanker pursued by the U.S. amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington changed its listed destination to a port in Turkey early Saturday after Greece said it wouldn't risk its relations with America by aiding it. The crew of the Adrian Darya 1, formerly known as the Grace 1, updated its listed destination in its Automatic Identification System to Mersin, Turkey, a port city in the country's south and home to an oil terminal.
|
| Dog owner charged with second-degree murder in Detroit 9-year-old's mauling death Posted: 22 Aug 2019 03:42 PM PDT  Pierre Cleveland, 33, of Detroit will face charges of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and having a dangerous animal causing death
|
| Joe Biden asks audience to imagine Barack Obama's assassination Posted: 23 Aug 2019 05:45 PM PDT  Raw video: Speaking to supporters in New Hampshire, Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden recalls the political turmoil of 1968.
|
| UK Hong Kong consulate worker Simon Cheng freed after detention in mainland China Posted: 24 Aug 2019 07:15 AM PDT  A British consulate employee in Hong Kong has been freed by China after being detained for 15 days on the mainland amid rising tensions between the former British colony and Beijing. Simon Cheng, 28, a trade and investment officer at the Hong Kong consulate's Scottish Development International section, went missing on August 8 on his way back from a work trip in Shenzhen, a neighbouring Chinese city. It was not until after the UK expressed "extreme concern" about his disappearance that China's foreign ministry broke its silence, confirming Mr Cheng had been detained without releasing further details. On Saturday, his family announced that he had come back. "Simon has returned to Hong Kong; thanks you everyone for your support! Simon and his family wish to have some time to rest and recover, and will not take any interview," they said in a statement. An activist holds an illustration of Simon Cheng during a gathering outside the British Consulate-General building in Hong Kong Credit: AFP Chinese police in Shenzhen confirmed that Mr Cheng had been detained for violating public security management regulations, and was released after that period on Saturday. Police also said he had "confessed to the facts of his illegal activity," without saying what those activities were. Mr Cheng was not formally charged or tried in court, and his family rejected allegations in Chinese state media that he had been detained for visiting prostitutes. On Friday the UK issued a warning to all travellers to Hong Kong about increased scrutiny from mainland authorities at border crossings. The warning added that mobile phones and electronic devices were being checked by border patrol. Mr Cheng's mysterious disappearance highlights China's murky legal and judicial system – something that help kicked off mass protests early June in Hong Kong. Many fear freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong, guaranteed for at least 50 years under an agreement that became effective when the former British colony was returned to Beijing, are fast-disappearing under China's ruling Communist Party. Hong Kong crisis | Comment and analysis Millions first took to the streets against a now-suspended extradition proposal that would have sent people to face trial in mainland China, where Communist Party control of the courts contributes to a 99.9 per cent conviction rate. Forced confessions are also common with suspects paraded on state television. "What happened to Simong Cheng – this is a common tactic used by the central government to put pressure on people," said Kammy Yang, 50, an office clerk at a protest on Saturday. "Many Chinese activists were accused of prostitution or tax scams; this is their strategy in China, trying to suppress freedom." Thousands of protesters on Saturday engaged in a series of skirmishes, throwing projectiles from bricks to petrol bombs at police who responded with sprays of tear gas and rubber bullets. It was the first time tear gas had been deployed in 10 days, a period of relative calm as protesters recalibrated their approach in an otherwise tumultuous, violent summer. Demonstrators join hands to form a human chain during the Hong Kong Way event in the Central district of Hong Kong, China, on Friday Credit: Bloomberg "The reasons why protesters are building roadblocks, surrounding police stations, and throwing bricks – it's because the government doesn't respond to us," said Vaso Chan, 28, an office clerk. "It's not fun for any of us to come out during summer break." Protesters spray painted slogans like "Give me liberty or death," Chinazi," and "HK popo Gestapo," on sidewalks and highways. As the political movement has grown, so have protesters' demands, who are now calling for an independent inquiry into police handling of the protests, the resignation of Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam, and direct leadership elections. City leaders however have made no concessions, instead thrusting the police to the front lines to handle the situation, further angering protesters. Demonstrations are occurring nearly every day now in the financial hub, disrupting traffic and public transportation. On Saturday, several stations closed along a planned march route. But despite growing unrest, public support for the protesters has stayed strong, with marches and strikes planned through September. "No matter whether those protesters are peaceful protesters or protesters that are standing in the 'front lines', no matter what they do, we will support them," said Mr Chan.
|
| Radical gun reform may finally have a voice in Washington Posted: 22 Aug 2019 10:00 PM PDT  An ambitious agenda by the March for Our Lives activists may be the first time the majority of Americans get real representationA young girl looks on as she attends a vigil for the victims of the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesMarch for Our Lives, the national youth gun violence prevention movement founded by survivors of last year's school shooting in Parkland, Florida, released a sweeping gun reform agenda this week.The agenda calls for significantly raising the standards for gun ownership in America, and reducing by about 100m the total number of guns in circulation.It's a dramatic, ambitious plan. And it may represent the first time in decades that the majority of Americans will get any real representation in the gun control debate in Washington.March for Our Lives' young activists endorsed an Australia-style mandatory government buyback and destruction of "assault weapons". They want to decrease the number of guns in circulation by 30% – which would mean roughly 100m fewer firearms in American hands. They proposed regulations that would dramatically raise the bar for who is allowed to purchase a gun, putting US law much more in line with European countries. And they want to revisit the 2009 supreme court decision, District of Columbia v Heller, which enshrined a pro-gun interpretation of Americans' second amendment right to bear arms.These proposals are substantially more aggressive, and more ambitious, than anything the Democrats in Washington have fought for in years. In fact, for decades, gun control groups and progressive politicians have done a poor job at representing the majority of Americans in Congress when it comes to gun control. A surprising voidDemocrats have fought for minor new restrictions on gun buying – and been defeated by the Republican party's gun absolutists – but, fundamentally, the Democratic party has remained supportive of gun ownership.Democratic lawmakers' efforts to "ban assault weapons", for example, have not meant an actual ban on these guns, but only a ban on future sales, meaning that Americans could keep the millions of military-style rifles they already own. President Obama's signature gun control legislation after the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a compromise bill that would have closed just a few of the gaping loopholes in the nation's background check system – a measure so weak it's doubtful whether it would have had any effect on gun violence at all.The country's largest gun control groups, too, have made great efforts to portray themselves as pro-"gun safety", not anti-gun. They routinely advertise themselves as supporters of Americans' second amendment right to bear arms. And they have focused on "commonsense reforms", such as getting what activists see as particularly extreme weapons off the streets, or requiring a criminal background check before every gun sale.This lack of any explicit anti-gun side in the American gun debate is strange.Although many Americans may not realize it, gun owners are a minority in the United States. American civilians overall own an estimated 300m to 400m firearms, more than one gun per person. But this frequently cited statistic obscures how concentrated American gun ownership is.In recent surveys, roughly 70% to 80% of Americans said they do not personally own a gun, and a majority said that nobody in their household owns a gun. Just 3% of American adults own half the country's guns, according to a definitive 2015 survey. This small group of gun super-owners have an average of 17 guns each.Gun absolutists – the activists who oppose any gun control measures, who want Americans to be able to own any kind of gun, and carry them everywhere – are a minority within that minority. According to the best available estimates, fewer than 10% of American gun owners overall are members of the National Rifle Association.There appear to be at least as many Americans who are vehemently anti-gun as there are NRA members.Recent Gallup polls have found that 28% of American adults say they would support a law banning handgun ownership, except by the police and other "authorized persons". A 2017 Pew Research Center survey found that 9% of American adults believed that "almost no one" should be legally allowed to own guns – about the same proportion as the number of adults who believed that "almost everyone" should be able to own them.A coalition of 9% of American adults would translate into more than 20 million people. That's a group four times larger than the NRA, which claims between 5 million and 6 million members.Only a minority of Americans oppose most private gun ownership. But there's strong majority support for much tougher gun control laws than the ones currently on the books.A 2017 Pew survey found 68% supported banning assault-style weapons. Seventy-one percent supported having a federal database to track all gun sales. A 2018 Gallup survey found 68% of respondents supported raising the legal age to buy certain guns. A Quinnipiac poll in May found 77% of respondents were in favor of requiring people to obtain a license before being able to purchase a gun.It's not hard to find Americans who oppose the country's current gun culture. They show up at gun control rallies, holding signs that say things like "Repeal the Second Amendment". They live in neighborhoods burdened by decades of daily gun violence. They've lost family members or friends to shootings. They keep asking: why can't we just get rid of the guns?But for years, these Americans' views have not been well represented by America's "gun safety" groups, and they have had virtually no representation in Congress.This may finally be starting to change. Moving the gun debateIn 2016, a progressive activist launched Guns Down America, a small organization that advocates not simply for "gun sense laws", but for "a future with fewer guns". Following the Parkland shooting, the young March for Our Lives activists have advocated unapologetically for bold reform, though they, like other American gun control activists, say they're not anti-gun and their proposals for stricter regulation represent the interests of "responsible gun owners".It's not yet clear how much the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates will move towards embracing these majority opinions on gun control policy. But there's already been movement towards the actual middle of the debate.In 2016, Obama argued in a CNN Town Hall that "issues like licensing, registration, that's an area where there's just not enough national consensus at this stage to even consider it". This year, the New Jersey senator Cory Booker made gun licensing the center of his 2020 gun control platform.After the mass shooting targeting Latino families in El Paso, the former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke said he endorsed not just an assault weapon ban, but a mandatory federal buyback of assault weapons. On Wednesday, he became the first Democratic 2020 candidate to tweet that he supported March for Our Lives' new policy agenda.O'Rourke's campaign did not back away from the most controversial elements of the youth activists' plan, including their desire to revisit the supreme court's current interpretation of the second amendment, enshrined in the Heller decision."While Beto agrees with the court's holding that the second amendment allows for regulation, he does not agree with the entirety of the Heller decision," said Aleigha Cavalier, O'Rourke's national press secretary. "One piece of the Heller case Beto believes should be revisited is the court's decision to strike down DC's safe storage requirements."America's gun debate may soon actually have two sides.
|
| Iceland Held Talks With U.S. Ambassador Over Pence Visit Posted: 24 Aug 2019 07:27 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Iceland' prime minister is open to a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence during his trip to the Nordic island, should the visit be extended.The option was discussed during a pre-scheduled meeting on Friday between Katrin Jakobsdottir and ambassador Jeffrey Gunter, a government spokesman told Bloomberg.Jakobsdottir, a left-of-center feminist and LGBT advocate, is due to attend a conference by Nordic trade union leaders in Sweden on Sept. 4. That's the same day in which Pence is due to arrive.Jakobsdottir's decision to not change her schedule to accommodate the vice president's visit has been criticized at home.Olafur Hardarson, a professor of political science at the University of Iceland, told local media Morgunbladid it would be "unusual" for the prime minister not to greet the American vice president.According to her spokeswoman, a final decision on whether the meeting can take place has not yet been made.The White House said Pence planned to discuss trade opportunities, the Arctic and NATO efforts to counter Russian aggression in the region.The scheduling snafu is the latest episode in a series of exchanges involving Donald Trump and the Nordics.Pence's visit would take place in the wake of a very public spat between the U.S. president and Denmark over its refusal to sell Greenland.Trump said Saturday he had held a "nice" conversation with Mette Frederiksen, with the exchange coming just days after labeling the Danish prime minister as "nasty."In 2017, Sweden reacted forcibly to Trump's portrayal of the Nordic nation as being in a state of chaos and overrun by crime after an influx of refugees.(Adds quote in fifth paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir in Reykjavik at rsigurdardot@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jonas Bergman at jbergman@bloomberg.net, Nick Rigillo, Andrew DavisFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| DNC likely to raise polling threshold for November debate, sources say Posted: 22 Aug 2019 04:15 PM PDT  The Democratic National Committee may fine-tune the rules for presidential debates beginning in November.
|
| The Latest: Houston police chief supports drug raid charges Posted: 23 Aug 2019 04:45 PM PDT  Houston's police chief says the arrest of two officers for their roles in a deadly January drug raid that killed a couple shows his agency can hold its own accountable if they do something wrong. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Friday he doesn't believe the actions of ex-officers Gerald Goines and Steven Bryant are indicative of a systematic problem within his agency. Earlier Friday, prosecutors announced they had filed two felony murder counts against Goines and one count of tampering with a government record against Bryant.
|
| U.S. new home sales drop sharply, point to more housing weakness Posted: 23 Aug 2019 07:32 AM PDT  Sales of new U.S. single-family homes sank more than expected in July, a sign that the housing market continued in low gear despite lower mortgage rates and a strong labor market. The Commerce Department said on Friday new home sales dropped 12.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 635,000 units last month. Economists had expected a sales pace of 649,000 units.
|
| These Countries Are the Winners of the China-U.S. Trade War Posted: 23 Aug 2019 12:14 PM PDT ![These Countries Are the Winners of the China-U.S. Trade War]( "These Countries Are the Winners of the China-U.S. Trade War") On Friday, the contentious China-U.S. trade conflict escalated after Beijing announced it will impose new tariffs on about $75 billion worth of U.S. goods. The announcement from China's Finance Ministry said the new duties on top of existing rates will take effect on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15. The move by China comes a little more than a week after Washington announced plans to impose tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods beginning Dec. 15. The retaliating moves by China and the United States are not good for either country's economy but other nations may benefit, experts say.
|
| Family of detained UK consulate worker rejects 'made-up' report Posted: 23 Aug 2019 02:27 AM PDT  The family of a staffer at the UK consulate in Hong Kong have rejected a "made-up" report by Chinese state media that he was detained in the mainland for visiting prostitutes. Simon Cheng disappeared after visiting the city of Shenzhen from the semi-autonomous city on August 8, and the Foreign Office in London said both British officials and relatives have been unable to speak to him since. The Global Times, a tabloid state-run newspaper, said he had been detained for "soliciting prostitutes", citing police in Shenzhen, which lies on the China-Hong Kong border.
|
| An innocent man spent months in jail after customs officials thought honey he brought back from Jamaica was liquid meth Posted: 23 Aug 2019 01:42 PM PDT  Leon Haughton told The Washington Post he was jailed for 82 days after customs officials in Baltimore alleged that the three jars of honey were meth.
|
| Trump claim doctors treating mass shooting victims 'were coming out of operating rooms' to meet him dismissed by hospitals Posted: 23 Aug 2019 06:35 AM PDT  Two hospitals have denied Donald Trump's claim doctors "were coming out of operating rooms" to meet him when he travelled to Texas and Ohio to console victims of two mass shootings."At no time did, or would, physicians or staff leave active operating rooms during the presidential visit," University Medical Center (UMC) spokesperson Ryan Mielke told local TV station KVIA. "Our priority is always patient care."
|
| How the Koch brothers used their massive fortune to power a conservative crusade that reshaped American politics Posted: 23 Aug 2019 10:53 AM PDT  David Koch used some of his $50 billion to fuel the Tea Party's rise and to oppose climate change policies that could hurt his industrial empire.
|
| 20 of the Craziest Pickup Trucks Ever Posted: 23 Aug 2019 08:55 AM PDT |
| Rep. Steve King wants to make abortion point in 'softer way' Posted: 23 Aug 2019 03:31 PM PDT  Backed by supporters at a news conference in Des Moines, the Iowa Republican affirmed his belief that abortion should be outlawed with no exceptions for rape or incest. King faced criticism for his comment Aug. 14 that questioned whether there would be "any population of the world left" if not for births due to rape or incest. The remarks were condemned by numerous groups and individuals, including Republican and Democratic candidates seeking to oust King, Democratic presidential candidates as well as the Iowa Republican Party and Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in House leadership.
|
| China Buys American Soybeans after Vowing to Boycott U.S. Farm Products Posted: 22 Aug 2019 10:05 AM PDT  China purchased a comparatively small amount of U.S. soybeans several days ago after promising to boycott U.S. farm products amid deteriorating trade negotiations with the Trump administration.Beijing reached agreements last week to buy 9,589 metric tons of American soybeans for the current marketing year and 66,000 metric tons for the following year, which starts September 1, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture released Thursday.An August 5 statement from China's Ministry of Commerce said Chinese companies would boycott American farm products in response to the Trump administration's heavy tariffs on Chinese products. In May, the White House upped tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports from 10 percent to 25 percent, claiming Beijing had reneged on the previously agreed terms of a trade deal. The U.S. also currently has a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese high-tech products.In response, China has slapped 25 percent tariffs on tens of billions in U.S. goods, including cars, planes, propane, soybeans, beef, and whiskey. The duties caused a steep drop in American farm exports, and the Trump administration has since compensated farmers up to $28 billions for their losses.Despite apparently breaking its boycott, China, which is the world's largest soybean importer, is still not purchasing anywhere near as many American soybeans as it has in the past. Last year, American sales of soybeans to China dropped 74 percent as Beijing gave its business to South America.President Trump has long complained about China's trade practices, accusing the country of contributing heavily to the U.S. trade deficit as well as stealing intellectual property from American companies."Now we have a Trade Deficit of $500 Billion a year, with Intellectual Property Theft of another $300 Billion. We cannot let this continue!" the president wrote in a tweet around the time of China's retaliatory tariffs.The administration had said it planned to impose tariffs on another $300 billion in Chinese goods by September 1, but later said it would delay imposing them until December."Despite the U.S. decision to delay tariffs on some Chinese goods . . . if the United States rides roughshod over China's opposition and imposes any new tariffs, China will be forced to adopt retaliatory actions," Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said Thursday.
|
| Soyuz spacecraft carrying humanoid robot fails to dock with space station Posted: 24 Aug 2019 12:06 AM PDT  A Soyuz spacecraft carrying Russia's first humanoid robot on Saturday failed to dock automatically with the international space station, Moscow news agencies reported. Live broadcast of the event on the Russian space agency Roscosmos was interrupted with the Soyuz spacecraft about 100 metres (109 yards) off the ISS. The life-size robot, named Fedor, was to spend 10 days learning to assist astronauts in the space station.
|
| Cathay Pacific cabin crew union leader fired as Hong Kongers warn of spread of 'white terror' Posted: 23 Aug 2019 09:36 AM PDT  Cathay Pacific fired a cabin crew union leader on Friday, the latest casualty in a fast-spreading "white terror" as mass protests in Hong Kong continue into their third month. Rebecca Sy, head of the Cathay Dragon flight attendant's association, said she lost her job of 17 years, without explanation, after managers saw and confirmed her Facebook account, which included messages in favour of the protests. "All the employees are being frightened, not just cabin crews, but even the management," Ms Sy told reporters. "My colleagues are all terrified because of its white terror." "White terror" is a term used to describe a slew of events that create a climate of fear particularly as companies and employees worry of serious repercussions for voicing their views. Her departure follows a surprise resignation last week by CEO Rupert Hogg, reported first by Chinese state media, underlining the political nature of the decision. Cathay has borne the brunt of Beijing's anger as authorities look to punish companies with any link to the Hong Kong protests - a direct challenge to the power of the Communist Party. Rebecca Sy was dismissed from her position as flight attendant for Cathay Pacific's subsidiary Cathay Dragon Credit: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images In the crackdown, companies and employees could face serious repercussions for voicing their views. Hong Kong subway operator MTR has also come under fire for arranging additional trains to allow protesters to travel home, accused of "colluding with rioters" in Chinese state media. Beijing authorities have long put the squeeze on companies over political issues by encouraging its 1.4 billion citizens to snub various brands or by throwing up a number of regulatory roadblocks – a move that can have devastating consequences for even the biggest firms. Simon Cheng, 28, a British consular official in Hong Kong and permanent resident of the city has been detained for two weeks in mainland China for allegedly visiting prostitutes. Under Chinese law, Mr Cheng should have been released today after a 15-day administrative period but at time of publication he was still in detention. Hong Kong police said on Friday that they did not know Mr Cheng's whereabouts. Protests in Hong Kong first kicked off over an extradition proposal that would have exposed people to China's murky legal and judicial system, where authorities have also in the past detained foreigners to express political displeasure. Two Canadians - Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur - were detained in China last year during Beijing's diplomatic dispute with Ottawa over its arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. It is widely viewed that both men - who are still being held and have been charged with spying – are being used as political pawns. Hong Kong protests | Read more A number of multinationals operating in Hong Kong have sought to stress their political neutrality to avoid their businesses being targeted and to protect staff from arbitrary detention. Earlier this week, the world's "big four" accounting firms came under attack after an anonymous group claiming to be made up of their employees took out a full-page newspaper advertisement to express support for protests in Hong Kong and condemn the firms for remaining silent on the issue. Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and Pricewaterhouse Coopers all sought to distance themselves from the advertisement, saying it didn't represent the companies' views. But Chinese state media had already seized on the situation, calling for the firms to identify and sack the employees behind the ad. FinnAir has also issued a warning to staff to remember to "keep work and politics separate," reported the South China Morning Post, over concerns that any link to the protests might lead to a customer backlash or flight cancellations in China, its second-largest market for long-haul travel. "China is obviously putting pressure on companies to ensure that they all hold the same political views," said Keenan Chuk, 30, a finance manager who attended a lunchtime rally or accountants in Hong Kong's central business district Friday. "I am concerned that I will be fired," he said, adding that "we still have to fight for our rights." Even universities have warned students against discussing politics and participating in rallies. "In a modern society, education should be free from politics so as to alleviate the escalation of anxiety and avoid the divisive society caused by chaos," according to a statement from the City University of Hong Kong issued earlier this month. A woman said she experienced at a police station during her detention in Hong Kong Credit: REUTERS/Thomas Peter Some banks are also now taking precautionary measures, purchasing full page ads in newspapers to affirm their support for the government. Edwin, 26, an accountant who declined to give his last name, said senior partners in his firm had invited junior employees to lunch that day in an attempt to dissuade people from attending Friday's protest. But he participated in the demonstration anyway, turning up again in the evening to join a human chain meant to evoke the Baltic Way, when two million lined up across three countries to protest Soviet rule in 1989. "In the industry, we switch firms quite often," he shrugged. Hong Kong police came under renewed pressure on Friday when officers were accused of conducting an unnecessary strip search on a female protester. The alleged victim appeared at a press conference dressed in all black with a black face mask, cap and sunglasses. Facing the cameras in front of a "MeToo" sign, she claimed she was arrested weeks ago at a protest against the now-abandoned extradition bill and was admitted to hospital for injuries she suffered that night. By her account, one officer patted her thighs with a pen, instructing her to open her legs wider after ordering her to take off all her clothes in a police cell. The police said their body search procedures had not changed during the recent outbreak of citywide protests.
|
| 2020 Vision: Democratic field continues to shrink as Inslee and Moulton drop out Posted: 23 Aug 2019 10:27 AM PDT  The presidential primary field further winnowed this week, with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton announcing their withdrawals.
|
| Chinese ship inches closer to Vietnam coastline amid South China Sea tensions Posted: 23 Aug 2019 10:35 PM PDT ![Chinese ship inches closer to Vietnam coastline amid South China Sea tensions]( "Chinese ship inches closer to Vietnam coastline amid South China Sea tensions") A Chinese survey vessel on Saturday extended its activities to an area closer to Vietnam's coastline, ship tracking data showed, after the United States and Australia expressed concern about China's actions in the disputed waterways. The Haiyang Dizhi 8 vessel first entered Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) early last month where it began a weeks-long seismic survey, triggering a tense standoff between military and coastguard vessels from Vietnam and China. The Chinese vessel continued to survey Vietnam's EEZ on Saturday under escort from at least four ships and was around 102 kilometres (63 miles) southeast of Vietnam's Phu Quy island and 185 kilometres (115 miles) from the beaches of the southern city of Phan Thiet, according to data from Marine Traffic, a website that tracks vessel movements.
|
| Hotline for detained migrants featured on Orange is the New Black shut down Posted: 23 Aug 2019 02:10 PM PDT  Hotline shut down by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement connected detained migrants to an advocacy groupFounded in 2013, the hotline connected migrants with advocates at Freedom for Immigrants, which also consulted for the Netflix production and was named in the show. Photograph: Handout/Getty ImagesUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has shut down a national hotline that connected detained migrants to an advocacy group, a month after the hotline was featured in a storyline in the hit TV series Orange is the New Black.Founded in 2013, the hotline connected migrants in the world's largest immigration detention system with advocates at Freedom for Immigrants, which also consulted for the award-winning Netflix production and was named in the show.Freedom for Immigrants runs and supports visitation programs in detention centers. It sent a cease-and-desist letter to Ice, alleging the government agency was retaliating and violating its right to exercise free speech after its profile grew."Ice is attempting to silence its critics and block people in immigration detention from connecting with communities on the outside," said Christina Fialho, the group's co-executive director. "It's disappointing, but not unexpected, that Trump's Ice would engage in such cruel and undemocratic behavior."Shawn Neudauer, an Ice spokesman, said all Ice facilities provide detainees with reasonable access to phones and that detainees are allowed to make free calls to an Ice-approved list of free legal service providers."Pro bono organizations found to be violating [Ice] rules may be removed from the platform," Neudauer said. "However, removal from this platform in no way limits the ability of an Ice detainee to phone such an organization directly should the detainee wish to do so."The Ice phone system is operated by Talton Communications, which is mandated to provide free extensions to groups such as the UN refugee agency, consulates and Freedom for Immigrants.Freedom for Immigrants had three pro-bono extensions operating in detention centers when Donald Trump took office. Ice shut down two of the extensions before the final one was closed on 7 August.Fialho said the cease-and-desist letter was the first step in potential litigation, though the group was hoping to avoid court."We very much hope we can resolve this amicably, but our team is also ready to enforce our rights under the constitution," she said.Before Ice shut down the hotline it closed more than a dozen of Freedom for Immigrants detention center visitation programs. They were ultimately reinstated.The final season of Orange is the New Black focuses on the immigration detention system, which is run by Ice, and highlights how difficult it is for people in prison to contact family or friends because of the high cost of making phone calls in detention.In one scene, Gloria (Selenis Leyva) tells Maritza (Diane Guerrero) about the hotline and warns: "You gotta be careful, though. Apparently as soon as Big Brother figures out you're using the hotline, they shut it down."Fialho said the hotline was important for helping migrants connect with the outside world."We would get calls from people who hadn't been able to communicate with family members to tell them they've been taken by Ice, that they are in this particular immigration detention facility," she said.While the extension number was supposed to be written on a sheet available to migrants in every detention center, Fialho said Ice had never made it easily available and people learned about the hotline through word of mouth instead.Now that the extension is gone, detained migrants can still use the Freedom for Immigrants hotline, but the group will have to shoulder the cost. The extension was also supposed to be unmonitored. Ice can listen in on a normal call.Orange is the New Black actors including Guerrero, Emily Tarver and Laura Gómez signed a letter to Ice demanding the hotline be restored.
|
| Putin Needs to Bury This Relic of Stalin Posted: 23 Aug 2019 04:52 AM PDT ![Putin Needs to Bury This Relic of Stalin]( "Putin Needs to Bury This Relic of Stalin") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- As Europe marks 80 years of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, which carved up eastern Europe between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, Russia is trying to defend the agreement again. There is no political benefit to doing this. President Vladimir Putin needs to abandon his Stalinist inheritance of a foreign policy based solely on national interest.If Moscow needed any reminder that many in eastern Europe still hold the treaty against it and still consider it a threat, plenty came on the anniversary. The governments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania – the countries directly affected by the pact's secret protocol – issued a joint statement saying the document "sparked World War II and doomed half of Europe to decades of misery."More than a million people gathered to celebrate the Baltic Chain, the 419-mile (675 kilometer) long line of people who protested Soviet rule on Aug. 23, 1989. The demonstrators didn't pick that day at random – they, too, were making the point that the subjugation of their countries by the Soviet Union began with the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact.Russia is fighting back. In Moscow, the original of the treaty is now exhibited alongside documents relating to both the 1938 Munich Agreement, where British and French leaders sanctioned the Nazi annexation of the Sudetenland, and Poland's subsequent invasion of part of Czechoslovakia.At the opening of the exhibition earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke of Britain and France's treachery: By cosying up to Hitler, they forced the Soviet Union to sign a deal with the Nazis to ensure its own security, he said. Had the Western Europeans listened to the Soviets and set up a collective security system, the bloodshed of World War II could have been averted. Lavrov was making a clear analogy with Russia's efforts to build an alternative security architecture in today's Europe – an idea the Kremlin hasn't abandoned despite the rest of Europe's lack of interest.For its part, the Russian mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the group the Kremlin sees as the foundation for its alternative security architecture, tweeted on Aug. 20 that lots of other countries had signed pacts with the Nazis before the Soviet Union did.Kremlin officials can say all this until they go hoarse, but that can't erase the undeniable fact that the Soviet Union's security didn't require it to grab the Baltics and parts of Poland and Romania. Poland, which tried to benefit from the Nazis' aggression, has admitted it was in the wrong when it invaded part of Czechoslovakia. President Lech Kaczynski apologized for it in 2009.In 1989, the Soviet Union, too, officially condemned the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact – but subsequent Russian communications about it, including an entire article signed by Putin himself in the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, have come with the caveat that lots of others were at it, too.These excuses are a major reason other European countries don't trust Russia: To them, Putin and his subordinates are saying that Moscow would do something like this all over again if its interests dictated it, small countries be damned.Concern this might happen was what drove eastern Europeans into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The reality of the annexation of Crimea – another opportunistic move dictated ostensibly by Russian security considerations – is pushing Ukraine in the same direction.If Putin's goal was to inspire trust and start a meaningful conversation about collective European security in an age of increasing global competition, an unconditionally apologetic stance would work much better. Refraining from invading neighboring countries would be an even more meaningful step.I suspect, however, that Putin doesn't really believe in such goals, because, like Stalin, he thinks a deal with the devil, based on common interest rather than trust, is the best.My epiphany about the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact came when I read the long-lost diary of Alfred Rosenberg, Nazi ideologue and Hitler's one-time minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories. Rosenberg was skeptical about the deal and recoiled in horror when fellow Nazi Richard Darre told him of Joachim von Ribbentrop's comment that he had "felt as though among old party comrades" when meeting the Soviet leadership.Incredulously, Rosenberg recounted that during Ribbentrop's visit, Stalin raised his glass not just to Hitler but also to Heinrich Himmler, the Nazi security chief, calling him "the guarantor of order in Germany.""Himmler has eradicated communism, i.e. those who believed in Stalin, and this one – without any need for it – raises a toast to the exterminator of his faithful," Rosenberg noted.For Stalin, any kind of ideology took a back seat to expediency. He was a man of interests, not values. In that sense, Putin, an avowed anti-communist who has condemned Stalin on many occasions, is following the dictator's realpolitik. His adherence to his current Orthodox Christian brand of social conservatism is as flimsy as Stalin's link to leftist idealism was. If Putin can do a deal that will promote what he sees as Russia's interests, he will do it with anyone. He will wear any hat required of him while doing so, and raise any toast. He is oblivious to Molotov-Ribbentrop's biggest lesson of all: That such agreements don't hold.That's why eastern Europeans, and especially Ukrainians, are so worried about the possibility of a grand bargain between Putin and a U.S. president, most recently Donald Trump. The consequences for them could be comparable to those of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact.What's needed from Russia isn't an apology for carving up Europe with Hitler, but a different foreign policy is – one in which principles trump interests. Only such a change can bring closer the idealistic vision of a Europe that stretches from Lisbon to Vladivostok, a goal to which both Russian and European leaders still like to refer. And that shift shouldn't come at a moment of weakness, as it did in the waning years of the Soviet Union. Restoring trust should be a conscious process. It will take some time.To contact the author of this story: Leonid Bershidsky at lbershidsky@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Edward Evans at eevans3@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Leonid Bershidsky is Bloomberg Opinion's Europe columnist. He was the founding editor of the Russian business daily Vedomosti and founded the opinion website Slon.ru.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Man arrested for holding woman as sex slave and keeping her eight-month-old baby captive Posted: 22 Aug 2019 01:37 PM PDT  A North Carolina man has been arrested after holding a woman and her 8-month-old baby captive for over a month, authorities said.The Pender County Sheriff's department said in a press release they received an emergency call on 9 August from a woman who said she was being held against her will at a home in Willard, North Carolina.
|
| Fear grips Bangladesh camp as 2 Rohingya refugees killed Posted: 24 Aug 2019 08:56 AM PDT  Bangladesh police said they had shot dead two Rohingya refugees during a gunfight in a refugee camp on Saturday after the pair were accused of killing a ruling party official. Nearly a million Rohingya live in squalid camps in southeast Bangladesh, 740,000 of whom fled a 2017 military offensive against the Muslim minority in Myanmar. The incident comes two days after a second failed attempt to repatriate the refugees, which saw not a single Rohingya turn up to return across the border to conflict-scarred Rakhine state.
|
| The Hyde Amendment Denies Women Health Care. Yes, Abortion Is Health Care Posted: 23 Aug 2019 11:26 AM PDT  The Hyde Amendment keeps women of color, young people, the LGBTQ community, immigrants and lower-income people from accessing abortion care, writes Congresswoman Barbara Lee. She says it's time for Congress to repeal it.
|
| U.S. Justice Ginsburg treated for pancreatic cancer Posted: 23 Aug 2019 11:43 AM PDT  Liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has completed a three-week course of radiation therapy to treat a cancerous tumor on her pancreas, a court spokeswoman said on Friday. The 86-year old justice, who has had previous cancer scares, tolerated the therapy well and no further treatment is required, spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said in a statement. An abnormality was first detected in July, and the tumor was identified following a biopsy performed on July 31 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
|
| Border Patrol has never vaccinated the migrant children it apprehends. Doctors say it's time for that to change. Posted: 22 Aug 2019 03:03 PM PDT  Officials say children are in the facilities for too short a time, and vaccination programs are too vast and complex for the limited staff on hand.
|
| Chinese buyers pull back from U.S. housing market, hurting home sales Posted: 23 Aug 2019 12:13 PM PDT  Chinese investors are buying fewer U.S. homes because of money controls in China. That's lowering prices and giving U.S. buyers a better chance to buy
|
| Released from death row, then returned — forced to prove race discrimination a second time Posted: 23 Aug 2019 05:01 PM PDT  Cases before N.C. Supreme Court show link between slavery, Jim Crow and modern death penalty is as connected as 'ropes of the lynch-man's noose'
|
| Suspect in California campus killing was co-worker Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:23 PM PDT  A man arrested in the stabbing death of a retired administrator at the California State University, Fullerton campus was a co-worker, police said Thursday. Chuyen Vo, 51, was arrested Wednesday night at his home in Huntington Beach, officials announced at a news conference near the killing scene in a campus parking lot. Lt. Jon Radus, however, declined to elaborate on Vo's work relationship with the victim and whether it was current or in the past.
|
| Hong Kong police fire tear gas as clashes return to city streets Posted: 24 Aug 2019 07:10 AM PDT  Hong Kong riot police on Saturday fired tear gas and baton-charged protesters who retaliated with a barrage of stones, bottles and bamboo poles, in another tense bout of violence. The city has been gripped by three months of street protests that started against a proposed extradition bill to China but have spun out into a wider pro-democracy movement. An uneasy peace had descended this week but that was broken on Saturday as thousands of demonstrators -- many wearing hard hats and gas masks -- marched through the industrial Kwun Tong area, where they were blocked by dozens of officers with shields and batons outside a police station.
|
| Nasa investigating first ever ‘space crime’ as astronaut accused of committing theft from ISS Posted: 24 Aug 2019 04:15 AM PDT  Summer Worden, a former US Air Force intelligence officer living in Kansas, has been in the midst of a bitter separation and parenting dispute for much of the past year.So she was surprised when she noticed that her estranged spouse still seemed to know things about her spending. Had she bought a car? How could she afford that?
|
| Rep. Jerry Nadler slams 'growing anti-Semitism,' condemns cartoon shared by Omar and Tlaib Posted: 23 Aug 2019 11:55 AM PDT  Zach Friend and David Bahnsen weigh in on controversial comments made by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Ilhan Omar and President Trump.
|
| Iran has highly accurate missiles which it has not publicized: deputy defense minister Posted: 23 Aug 2019 07:51 AM PDT  Iran has produced highly accurate missiles which it has not publicized, Iranian Deputy Defence Minister General Qassem Taqizadeh said on Friday, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of an international agreement on Iran's nuclear program last year and stepped up sanctions on Tehran in order to curb Iran's development of ballistic missiles and its support for proxies in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq. Iran displayed what it described as a domestically built long-range, surface-to-air missile air defense system on Thursday, amid rising tensions with the United States.
|
| Fast-moving wildfire erupts in California, forcing thousands to evacuate Posted: 23 Aug 2019 09:23 AM PDT  Mountain fire races across hundreds of acres in just hours as wildfire season looms large over the stateThis photo provided by Cal Fire shows an aerial view of the Mountain Fire on 22 August. Photograph: APA fast-moving wildfire that broke out on Thursday in northern California has forced the evacuation of nearly 4,000 residents, racing across at least 600 acres within just a few hours, officials say. The Mountain fire, which erupted on the outskirts of a national forest in northern California, has threatened 1,110 homes and structures. As of Friday morning the fire was 40% contained , according to Cal Fire.The cause of the fire is under investigation.Photos of the blaze posted on Twitter by the Shasta county sheriff's office showed thick black and gray smoke billowing into the area over a highway near the Shasta-Trinity national forest."Jones Valley and Bella Vista area residents! This situation is very fluid and rapidly changing, if you do not see your road listed but feel you are in danger YOU MAY EVACUATE to Shasta College Gymnasium," the sheriff's department said in a separate tweet.The Mountain fire is threatening thousands of homes and forcing evacuations. Photograph: APThe Shasta College campus was closed along with Highway 299 and about a dozen smaller roads. Residents of small communities in the path of the flames were told to evacuate or be prepared to flee on short notice.California was hit by some of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in a century last year and state officials have warned this year's fire season could be similarly intense.The Camp fire, which broke out in Butte county in November and overran the town of Paradise, killed 86 people and left thousands of others homeless. State fire investigators determined that the Camp fire was sparked by Pacific Gas & Electric Co transmission lines.The Mountain fire broke out on the same day that Bernie Sanders, the senator and Democratic presidential candidate, unveiled his $16.3tn climate change plan and toured Paradise, which he called a "wake-up call for our entire nation"."Climate change is a major, major crisis for our country, and the entire world, and one of the manifestations of that crisis is what happened here," Sanders said as he walked through a burned-out mobile home park in Paradise alongside people who lost their homes in last November's deadly blaze.
|
| Every Angle of the 2020 BMW 745e xDrive Plug-In Hybrid Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:59 AM PDT |
| Catholic priest Joseph McLoone stole church money and spent it on himself, Grindr men, authorities say Posted: 23 Aug 2019 03:23 AM PDT  A Catholic priest in Pennsylvania was charged with theft after he stole nearly $100,000 from his parish over several years.
|
| US homeland security chief tours Panama jungle migrant camp Posted: 23 Aug 2019 03:43 PM PDT  The acting U.S. homeland security secretary visited a camp in the Panamanian jungle Friday housing hundreds of migrants who survived the perilous border crossing from Colombia, usually heading for the United States. Kevin McAleenan arrived by SUV in Penitas shortly before midday and was briefed on the camp's operations and the physical conditions of those who crossed the region known as the Darien Gap.
|
| Overstock.com CEO Resigns after Disclosing Relationship with Russian Agent Maria Butina Posted: 22 Aug 2019 01:53 PM PDT  Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne stepped down Thursday amid the backlash to his disclosure of a romantic relationship with Russian agent Maria Butina.Byrne caused Overstock's shares to plummet last week after he admitted to carrying on a romantic relationship with Butina from 2015 to 2016. The fallout from his disclosure complicated "all manner of business relationships," he said in a statement announcing his resignation."Thus, while I believe that I did what was necessary for the good of the country, for the good of the firm," he wrote, "I am in the sad position of having to sever ties with Overstock, both as C.E.O. and board member."Byrne issued a statement on August 12th confirming a series of articles by Fox News contributor Sara Carter that exposed his relationship with Butina, a Russian national who pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered foreign agent in the U.S. earlier this year.Carter's work detailed how Byrne became involved in the FBI's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election due to his relationship with Butina. Byrne said he felt compelled to go public with his role in the investigation after becoming concerned about the way in which the Department of Justice was handling the investigation into Butina's conduct.The Overstock executive met Butina at a libertarian conference in 2015 and subsequently contacted the FBI when she began to express interest in meeting with individuals associated with the Clinton and Trump presidential campaigns.In his statement, Byrne said that his interactions with the FBI were "less about law enforcement and more about political espionage conducted against Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump."Butina is serving an 18-month prison sentence for attempting to infiltrate conservative political organizations at the direction of Alexander Torshin, the former deputy governor of Russia's central bank. Torshin and Butina founded a gun-rights group in Russia and presented themselves as allies to conservative American groups such as the NRA.Butina is set to be released in October. Overstock's shares were up more than 10 percent on Thursday after Byrne's announcement.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment