| Former SS guard of Nazi camp, 92, to go on trial in Germany Posted: 08 Aug 2019 06:36 AM PDT  A 92-year-old former SS private will go on trial this fall in Germany on 5,230 counts of being an accessory to murder, accused of helping the Nazis' Stutthof concentration camp function, a Hamburg court said Thursday. "Surveillance was necessary for the concentration camp to function, and the camp was made to kill people," Hamburg state court spokesman Kai Wantzen said of the prosecution's argument. Wantzen said the suspect did not deny to authorities that he had served in Stutthof and said he was aware people were being killed.
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| India Has Taken Kashmir, But Winning the Hearts and Minds of Kashmiris Will be Harder Posted: 08 Aug 2019 02:37 AM PDT  'This is an attack on Indian democracy': On Aug. 5, the Indian government blocked all communication in Kashmir in a bid for greater control.
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| Chicago mayor calls out Ivanka Trump's 'nonsense tweets' about her city Posted: 07 Aug 2019 12:16 PM PDT  After the president's eldest daughter compares gun violence in Chicago to the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot responds.
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| China denounces Australian lawmaker's World War Two Germany remark Posted: 07 Aug 2019 10:40 PM PDT ![China denounces Australian lawmaker's World War Two Germany remark]( "China denounces Australian lawmaker's World War Two Germany remark") China said on Thursday it "strongly deplores" comments by the head of Australia's parliamentary intelligence committee, who likened the West's attitude to China to the inadequate French response to the World War Two advances of Nazi Germany. The Chinese Embassy in Australia said in a statement that Australian lawmaker Andrew Hastie had a "Cold-War mentality and ideological bias". While China and Australia are major trading partners, their relationship has deteriorated in recent years over concerns Beijing is influencing the island's domestic affairs.
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| Lithuania Jewish Community closes Vilnius synagogue over threats Posted: 06 Aug 2019 01:56 PM PDT  Jewish leaders in Lithuania announced Tuesday they were temporarily closing the Vilnius Synagogue and the community's headquarters due to threats, citing an "atmosphere of rising tension". The move comes amid a highly-charged public debate over commemorations to Lithuanian wartime officials, who the Lithuanian Jewish Community (LJC) claims were involved in the Holocaust. In recent days authorities have acted to remove a plaque to one of the men and rename a street named after another -- sparking a backlash which the LJC claims has been stoked by some politicians who have called for protests.
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| Frontier Airlines will let you fly for free if you have this last name Posted: 08 Aug 2019 09:21 AM PDT  Is your last name Green or Greene? If so, you've lucked out because Frontier Airlines will give you a free flight. Find out how to claim it.
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| Badass Planes, Ranked Posted: 07 Aug 2019 06:50 AM PDT |
| Yang surpasses Beto in Iowa, qualifies for fall debates Posted: 08 Aug 2019 08:00 AM PDT  Yang is the ninth candidate to qualify for a pair of debates in September and October.
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| Trump uses Dayton and El Paso visits to attack critics and boast mass shooting victims showed him ‘love and respect’ Posted: 08 Aug 2019 02:59 AM PDT  Donald Trump used his flight time between visiting the cities of two mass shootings to attack his critics and boast on Twitter about how victims had shown him "love, respect & enthusiasm".The US president visited El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday – cities reeling from two massacres which left 31 people dead and dozens more wounded last weekend.Mr Trump was greeted by protesters as he visited the hospitals where victims were treated, who accused him of stoking tensions with his anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric.As he flew between Ohio and Texas on Air Force One, Mr Trump lashed out at Joe Biden, the former vice president, who had given a speech denouncing the president for "fuelling a literal carnage" in the US.Mr Trump tweeted to say the speech was "Sooo Boring!" and warned "The LameStream Media will die in the ratings and clicks" if Mr Biden became the next US president.At least 200 protesters gathered outside Dayton's Miami Valley Hospital, blaming Mr Trump's incendiary rhetoric for inflaming political and racial tensions in the US and demanding action on gun control.Mr Trump also received mixed praise from local Democratic politicians.Democratic senator Sherrod Brown said: "He was comforting. He did the right things and Melania did the right things. It's his job to comfort people." But he went on to say he was "very concerned about a president that divides in his rhetoric and plays to race in his rhetoric"."I think the victims and the first responders were grateful that the president of the United States came to Dayton," added Mayor Nan Whaley. However, she said she was glad Mr Trump had not stopped at the site of the shooting: "A lot of the time his talk can be very divisive, and that's the last thing we need in Dayton."Mr Trump, responding from aboard Air Force One, described his visit as "warm & wonderful" with "tremendous enthusiasm & even love", but went on to criticise the two Democrats for their comments."Then I saw failed Presidential Candidate (0%) Sherrod Brown & Mayor Whaley totally misrepresenting what took place inside of the hospital," he tweeted."Their news conference after I left for El Paso was a fraud. It bore no resemblance to what took place with those incredible people that I was so lucky to meet and spend time with. They were all amazing!"Mr Trump also took time out from posting about his visits and his political opponents to deride the media and promote the right-wing One America News Network, tweeting: "Watching Fake News CNN is better than watching Shepard Smith, the lowest rated show on @FoxNews. Actually, whenever possible, I turn to @OANN!"The US president then tweeted photos and a video of himself and Melania Trump, the first lady, visiting wounded patients at a hospital in Dayton.He posed with medical staff and law enforcement officials, in which he could be seen giving the "thumbs up" gesture, and tweeted: "The people I met in Dayton are the finest anywhere!"In El Paso, Mr Trump's motorcade passed protesters holding "Racist Go Home" signs.Beto O'Rourke, a potential Democratic 2020 presidential rival and El Paso native who has denounced Mr Trump as a racist instigator, said Mr Trump had "helped create the hatred that made Saturday's tragedy possible" and thus "has no place here".Later, on the flight home from El Paso, Mr Trump sent out a tweet targeting Joaquin Castro, the Democrat brother of presidential hopeful Julian Castro, who had shared a list of 44 names in his district of Texas who had donated the maximum amount to Mr Trump's campaign this year."I don't know who Joaquin Castro is other than the lesser brother of a failed presidential candidate (1%) who makes a fool of himself every time he opens his mouth," he tweeted."Joaquin is not the man that his brother is, but his brother, according to most, is not much. Keep fighting Joaquin!"He sent out a second tweet blasting the media: "The Fake News worked overtime trying to disparage me and the two trips, but it just didn't work."The love, respect & enthusiasm were there for all to see. They have been through so much. Sad!"He followed that with another post attacking his political opponents: "The Dems new weapon is actually their old weapon, one which they never cease to use when they are down, or run out of facts, RACISM! They are truly disgusting!"Mr Trump said he would be "putting out a list of all people who have been so (ridiculously) accused!"Democrats have argued Mr Trump's anti-immigrant and racially charged language at rallies and on Twitter has fanned white nationalist sentiments across the US.The massacre in the predominantly Hispanic city of El Paso is being investigated as a hate crime and act of domestic terrorism, and the FBI has said the Dayton attacker also explored violent ideologies.
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| 3 Americans, including married couple, drown while vacationing with children in Turks and Caicos Posted: 07 Aug 2019 08:39 AM PDT  Three American tourists, a Texas couple and their family friend, died in a tragic accident while vacationing with their kids in Turks and Caicos.
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| Russian military says 2 dead, 4 injured by rocket explosion Posted: 08 Aug 2019 06:08 AM PDT  Russia's Defense Ministry said two people died and four others were wounded Thursday when a rocket engine exploded during a test. The ministry said the explosion occurred at a military shooting range in Nyonoksa in the northwestern Arkhangelsk region, causing a fire. The explosion followed a massive fire that erupted Monday at a military ammunition depot near Achinsk in eastern Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region.
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| Body Believed to Be British Astrophysicist Found in Greece Weeks After Murder of American Biologist Posted: 07 Aug 2019 10:43 AM PDT  The disappearance comes just a few weeks after an American female scientist was killed on the Greek island of Crete.
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| 13-year-old suffers skull fracture when man attacks him for wearing hat during national anthem, police say Posted: 07 Aug 2019 09:59 AM PDT  A grown man grabbed a 13-year-old and threw him to the ground during the national anthem, according to investigators in Montana.
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| Serbia grants citizenship to Thailand's fugitive ex-PM Posted: 08 Aug 2019 06:47 AM PDT ![Serbia grants citizenship to Thailand's fugitive ex-PM]( "Serbia grants citizenship to Thailand's fugitive ex-PM") The Serbian government has granted citizenship to Thailand's former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra who fled her homeland in 2017 to avoid negligence charges. Shinawatra, 52, went to Dubai and joined her brother Thaksin, another former Thai prime minister who also fled in 2006 to avoid a prison sentence for corruption. The Official Gazette notice about the decision was published in local media on Thursday and gave no further explanation.
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| Pricey 2020 Range Rover Evoque SUV nails the look and feel, but has maddening oversight Posted: 08 Aug 2019 09:07 AM PDT  The 2020 Range Rover Evoque SUV is a masterclass in the meaning and value of a strong brand. People will happily pay a premium from the luxury SUV.
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| Man leads police on chase from Missouri to Tennessee after stealing car full of kittens Posted: 07 Aug 2019 12:00 PM PDT  A man accused of stealing a car full of cats led police through at least fourdifferent states before he was finally arrested Monday, according to WTVF
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| The Latest: 32 busted in drug operation in San Francisco Posted: 07 Aug 2019 12:05 PM PDT |
| Killer Revealed Where He Dumped Yingying Zhang’s Remains—But Finding Her May Be ‘Impossible’ Posted: 07 Aug 2019 09:10 AM PDT  REUTERS/Robert ChiaritoThe family of murdered Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang has finally learned what happened to the body of their beloved daughter. Brendt Christensen, the 29-year-old who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Zhang's murder, informed his attorneys that after killing and decapitating Zhang, he put her body in three separate garbage bags, then disposed of those bags in the dumpster outside his Champaign, Illinois, apartment.Christensen, a former physics Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois, raped, choked, and stabbed 26-year-old Zhang before beating her with a baseball bat and decapitating her in June 2017. Zhang was a visiting scholar at the university.Zhang's father, Ronggao Zhang, said on Wednesday: "If what that man said is true, it further confirms that he is a heartless and evil person. We condemn his brutal and malicious actions and we hope that he suffers the rest of his life as he made Yingying suffer in the final moments of her life."Ex-University of Illinois Ph.D. Candidate Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Visiting Chinese ScholarHe added, "We now understand that finding her may be impossible."Days after the murder, Christensen said he put Yingying's clothing, backpack, cell phone, books and other personal items into a large duffel bag and then distributed them in dumpsters throughout the Champaign-Urbana area.Attorney Steve Beckett, who represents Zhang's family, said last week that defense lawyers provided the information about Zhang's remains as part of an "immunity" agreement in November 2018, telling prosecutors that Zhang's body was likely in a landfill in Vermilion County in Illinois.As the information was provided "under immunity," prosecutors were not able to use or communicate that information to anyone—including her family—during the criminal trial, according to a statement from the Zhang family released on Wednesday morning.During a follow-up investigation, authorities determined that the contents of Christensen's dumpster were picked up on July 12, 2017, "compacted at least twice," and taken to a private landfill near Danville, Illinois, the statement said.The portion of that private landfill that was being actively used at the time was about half a football field in width, and, by the time Christensen's attorneys informed authorities about the remains, they would have purportedly been covered by at "least 30 feet of fill from later garbage hauling.""It is evident that any attempt to recover Yingying's remains would be complicated and expensive, would require government oversight and the cooperation of the landfill owners and would have no certainty of success," said the statement. "To date, no search has been undertaken. But the Zhang family understands that the authorities are still considering an attempt to locate and recover Yingying's remains.""At this time, they think the most prudent thing to do is to allow the authorities to handle the situation and undertake the recovery of Yingying's remains if it is feasible," according to the statement.WTTW-TV's Matt Masterson also reported on Wednesday that Christensen "has not and will not file an appeal" to his convictions.Earlier this week, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign created an endowment, called Yingying's Fund, that is aimed at helping international students "during times of hardship, when they need it most," according to the fund's donation page.Zhang's family reportedly provided the first gift for the endowment. The fund had already amassed more than $30,000 by Wednesday morning.A bilingual memorial service for Zhang will be held on Friday in Savoy, Illinois.Ex-University of Illinois Ph.D. Candidate Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Visiting Chinese ScholarRead 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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| DRC medics arrested over murder of WHO Ebola doctor Posted: 07 Aug 2019 01:53 PM PDT  Three Congolese medics have been detained over the murder of a World Health Organization (WHO) doctor who was fighting an Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo, a military prosecutor said on Wednesday. Cameroonian doctor Richard Valery Mouzoko Kiboung was shot dead on April 19 in an attack on a hospital in the eastern city of Butembo. The arrested doctors will be prosecuted for "terrorism" and "criminal conspiracy," Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Baptiste Kumbu Ngoma, military prosecutor for Butembo in North Kivu province, told AFP.
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| Gazans too poor to afford sheep for Eid sacrifice under blockade, Israel cash row Posted: 08 Aug 2019 03:08 AM PDT ![Gazans too poor to afford sheep for Eid sacrifice under blockade, Israel cash row]( "Gazans too poor to afford sheep for Eid sacrifice under blockade, Israel cash row") Ali usually marks the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha with his family in the Gaza Strip by sacrificing a sheep, a customary annual ritual for those who can spare the cost. Gaza has suffered under years of blockade by Israel and Egypt, which cite security concerns for restrictions the World Bank says have severely damaged its economy. Ali said that in March, the PA cut his monthly salary in half, leaving him with of 1,500 shekels ($431).
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| 'More than 100' immigrants tear gassed by ICE in US detention centre Posted: 07 Aug 2019 11:15 AM PDT  American immigration officials used tear gas and allegedly fired rubber bullets on more than 100 immigrants conducting a hunger strike at a detention facility in Louisiana over the weekend, just a day after as many as 40 detainees who were demonstrating against their detention conditions were reportedly pepper sprayed at a separate facility in the state.The spraying occurred at a facility in Pine Prairie, where more than 1,000 detainees are held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a time, according to legal representatives for detainees in the facility who spoke to The Independent.According to a legal representative with the Southern Poverty Law Centre representing a detainee who witnessed the incident, more than 100 detainees were sprayed and hit with tear gas by law enforcement "in riot gear" on Saturday in a central yard of the facility. Many were then taken to a separate facility for decontamination, and legal representatives have since indicated they believe those impacted are being moved to different facilities.Another legal representative with a different immigrant legal group told The Independent that their clients reported seeing the use of "rubber bullets, which is painful but not deadly"."When an individual in detention goes on hunger strike, it means the person is willing to put their body on the line just to be heard," Sofia Casini, the southern regional co-ordinator for the group Freedom for Immigrants, said in a statement. "Multiple hunger strikes happening simultaneously are no coincidence: they are indicative of the desperation and suffering that immigrants are facing inside these human cages."When contacted for comment, ICE spokesman Bryan Cox confirmed that an incident had taken place, and said the pepper spray was deployed after the detainees refused to disperse from the outdoor recreation at the facility."Facility staff and ICE officers gave the detainees multiple opportunities to disperse and allow for the restoration of orderly operations. When the ICE detainees refused to comply, facility staff and ICE officers deployed pepper spray to disperse the group," Mr Cox said in an email.Mr Cox continued: "Medical staff evaluated all individuals who came in contact with the pepper spray; no detainee or staff injuries were reported."The incident came just days after dozens of immigrants were allegedly pepper sprayed and beaten at a facility in Bossier Parish, about 30 miles north of Shreveport."There are lots of cops who came from another prison, they beat up the Cubans, they pepper spray them and handcuff them," one of the men inside of the jail later texted his lawyer, according to Mother Jones, which was able to access those messages.Another text message from the same man claimed that the Cuban immigrants were attacked after they requested to be released on bond, and "to change the judge because he's violating our rights".The incident at Pine Prairie has once again drawn attention to the facility, which is operated by the private prison corporation GEO Group, which runs many of the jails that ICE relies upon for immigrant detention.
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| Former Boy Scout leader had 10,000 photos and 600 videos of child porn Posted: 08 Aug 2019 04:55 AM PDT ![Former Boy Scout leader had 10,000 photos and 600 videos of child porn]( "Former Boy Scout leader had 10,000 photos and 600 videos of child porn") A former Boy Scout leader was sentenced Wednesday for possession of thousands of images and hundreds of videos of child pornography.
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| Conservative think tank sues Wisconsin's Evers over access Posted: 07 Aug 2019 01:38 PM PDT  A conservative think tank has filed a federal lawsuit against Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, alleging he violated the First Amendment rights of staff members who were denied access to a press briefing and kept off an advisory list sent to other reporters. The MacIver Institute for Public Policy filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Madison alleging that Evers violated its staffers' constitutional rights to free speech, freedom of the press and equal access. Evers' spokeswoman, Melissa Baldauff, said in a statement that Evers believed strongly in a "fair and unbiased press corps" and is committed to openness and transparency in state government.
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| The NRA is reportedly warning Trump that supporting universal background checks will hurt him politically Posted: 08 Aug 2019 08:52 AM PDT  But according to a Morning Consult/Politico poll, 90% of Republicans support mandatory background checks on all gun sales.
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| The bodies of 2 Canadian murder suspects have been found after a 20-day manhunt across 5 provinces, police say Posted: 07 Aug 2019 02:14 PM PDT  The Royal Canadian Mounted Police launched a nationwide manhunt for Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, on July 19.
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| Woman convicted of murdering alleged sex trafficker freed from prison Posted: 07 Aug 2019 05:32 AM PDT  Cyntoia Brown, who received a life sentence at 14-years-old for killing a real estate broker, has been released from prison after 15 years.
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| View Photos of the 2020 Acura NSX in Indy Yellow Pearl Posted: 08 Aug 2019 03:00 AM PDT |
| Tucker Carlson: White Supremacy Is a ‘Hoax’ and ‘Not a Real Problem in America’ Posted: 06 Aug 2019 06:58 PM PDT  Three days after a Texas man allegedly killed 22 people in El Paso after apparently posting a manifesto complaining of a "Hispanic invasion," Fox News host Tucker Carlson said white supremacy is not a problem in the United States and is actually a "hoax" and a "conspiracy theory."Carlson, who regularly spouts the same anti-immigrant "invasion" rhetoric the El Paso shooter is believed to have espoused in a racist manifesto, hit back against those who say President Trump's rhetoric on immigration may have emboldened the suspected shooter. The Fox News star claimed it is "just a lie" to say Trump ever "endorsed white supremacy or came close to endorsing white supremacy."Crediting the president for condemning white supremacy while addressing the recent mass shootings, Carlson not only blasted critics of the president but took it a step further and dismissed the issue of white supremacy altogether, saying "the whole thing is a lie." "If you were to assemble a list, a hierarchy of concerns, problems this country has, where would white supremacy be on the list? Right up there with Russia probably. It's actually not a real problem in America."After asserting that one could fit all the white supremacists in America within a football stadium, the Fox News primetime star—who has repeatedly claimed racism is essentially a non-existent problem— then mocked the idea of white supremacy being an issue in this country."It's a hoax," he declared. "Just like the Russia hoax, it's a conspiracy theory used to divide the country and keep a hold on power."Moments later, during an interview with frequent guest Victor Davis Hanson, Carlson insisted he's "never met anybody—not one person—who ascribes to white supremacy.""I don't know a single person who thinks that's a good idea," he added. "I don't—I mean, they are making this up, and it's a talking point which they are using to help them in this election cycle, obviously, because Russia died."The New York Times, meanwhile, recently highlighted how white extremist ideology is a major driving force in deadly mass shootings. Furthermore, the FBI said last month that the majority of domestic terrorism cases they've recently investigated are versions of white supremacist violence. Besides the El Paso shooting, at least a dozen people were killed over the past year in two separate synagogue attacks in Poway, California, and Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania, both of which were tied to alleged gunmen who had expressed white nationalist views online beforehand. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Muslim pilgrims descend on Mecca for haj, Saudis warn against politics Posted: 08 Aug 2019 02:28 AM PDT ![Muslim pilgrims descend on Mecca for haj, Saudis warn against politics]( "Muslim pilgrims descend on Mecca for haj, Saudis warn against politics") Hundreds of thousands of white-clad pilgrims, many gripping umbrellas to ward off Saudi Arabia's blistering summer sun, descended on Mecca this week ahead of the annual haj. Saudi officials asked Muslims to focus on rituals of worship, warning against politicizing the rite as wars rage on in the region and at a time of heightened tensions between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Muslim adversary Iran. "Haj...is not a place for political conflicts or to raise sectarian slogans that divide Muslims," Abdulrahman al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, told reporters.
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| Hong Kongers harness traffic cones, kitchenware to battle tear gas Posted: 07 Aug 2019 08:53 PM PDT  As a tear gas canister clatters onto a street in Hong Kong, a pro-democracy protester wearing heat-proof gloves and carrying a traffic cone sprints from the crowd to put it out. Police have ramped up their use of the crowd control measure as two months of rallies in the global financial hub have turned increasingly violent, peaking with 800 rounds fired on Monday in what protesters called a "tear gas buffet". Hardcore demonstrators are responding with ever more creative methods to neutralise the threat, harnessing everything from traffic cones to kitchenware.
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| Woman charged with shooting at plane that was spraying for mosquitoes in Louisiana Posted: 07 Aug 2019 04:25 PM PDT  A cell phone video showed the aircraft after Stacy Nguyen Rodgers allegedly fired at it. The aircraft was not hit, authorities say.
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| Modi Promises New Era in Kashmir After Scrapping Autonomy Posted: 08 Aug 2019 08:39 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- India's government had rid Kashmir of dynastic politics and entrenched corruption by revoking its seven-decades of autonomy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an address to the nation Thursday evening.Modi's address came after rival Pakistan cut diplomatic and trade ties and sought to garner international support for its opposition to what New Delhi has called "entirely the internal affairs" of India.The federal government will look at ways to reduce the state deficit in Kashmir, Modi said, seeking to reassure Kashmiris that governance will continue as normal without undue influence from the capital, New Delhi. Several leaders, including former state chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti who belong to prominent political families, have been arrested in the recent days."A new era has been started in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh," Modi said. "Article 370 did not give the people anything apart from separatism and terrorism and kept them from progress -- it was being used as a weapon by Pakistan."Under Article 370 of the constitution, the state of Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed complete autonomy and the state legislature was free to draft its own laws except in the areas of communications, defense, finance, and foreign affairs, while Indian citizens, living outside the state, were prohibited from purchasing land.Modi made not more than a couple of references to Pakistan in his 40-minute speech which aimed to explain the decision to scrap Article 370. Instead, he kept the focus firmly on jobs and governance in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh."For decades, the political dynasties have kept my Kashmiri youth from the opportunity to govern," Modi said. "I appeal to young men and women to come forward and lead their own areas."The government would immediately begin hiring for posts in police, the armed forces and federal government-run businesses, Modi said. Promises of job benefits like rent and travel allowances -- not as yet available to local government employees -- and extending scholarships to students and sportspeople also took up a large part of his speech.He emphasized that Kashmir would revert to full-statehood under India's federal structure, although Ladakh would continue to be administered by the federal government. Modi also indicated that restrictions on movement and communication in Kashmir would be lifted soon.His Kashmir move fulfilled a campaign promise made to his Hindu base, which opposed special treatment for the region. The state has been the main flashpoint between the two nuclear powers, which have fought three wars since the British left the subcontinent in 1947.Yet the manner in which the decision was implemented -- imposing restrictions on movement, cutting telephone and Internet connectivity, evacuating tourists and Hindu pilgrims and arresting local political leaders -- has raised concerns.Pakistan TiesThe Indian decision triggered Pakistan into downgrading diplomatic relations and suspend bilateral trade with India.As Modi was delivering his address, Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted criticisms of India's treatment of citizens living in Kashmir. "The whole world is waiting to see what happens to oppressed Kashmiris in IOK when curfew is lifted," Khan said. "What should be obvious is the international community will be witnessing the genocide of the Kashmiris."His government announced a series of measures on Wednesday to oppose what it called "unilateral and illegal actions" by India. He also said Pakistan will take the matter to the United Nations Security Council and ensure the army remains vigilant. It also canceled a two-decade-old bi-weekly train service between the two countries.New Delhi urged Pakistan to review its actions so "that normal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved," foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday.'Undermines Sovereignty'China has also criticized India's actions.A strongly-worded statement released by Beijing was most critical of the impact of India's actions on the mainly Buddhist region of Ladakh -- an area of strategic importance nestled between Tibet and Pakistan."The recent unilateral revision of domestic laws by the Indian side continues to undermine China's territorial sovereignty, which is unacceptable and will not have any effect," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswomen Hua Chunying said in the statement Tuesday.To contact the reporters on this story: Archana Chaudhary in New Delhi at achaudhary2@bloomberg.net;Bibhudatta Pradhan in New Delhi at bpradhan@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Unni KrishnanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump seeks to link Dayton shooter to liberal politics Posted: 07 Aug 2019 03:32 PM PDT  President Donald Trump linked the suspected gunman in the Dayton mass shooting to liberal candidates and organizations Wednesday, even as he pushed back against critics who tied the El Paso attack to his own comments on immigration. Posts from a Twitter account that appeared to belong to Connor Betts, the 24-year-old Dayton shooter, endorsed communism, bemoaned Trump's election and supported Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is running for president.
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| Police shootings are a leading cause of death for young American men, new research shows Posted: 08 Aug 2019 07:12 AM PDT  The phrase "leading causes of death" might bring to mind cancer, heart disease, suicide and drug overdose.But new research published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that young American men are at a surprisingly high risk of being killed by a police officer.Among men of all races, ages 25 to 29, police killings are the sixth-leading cause of death, according to a study led by Frank Edwards of Rutgers University, with a total annual mortality risk of 1.8 deaths per 100,000 people.Accidental death, a category that includes automotive accidents and drug overdoses, was the biggest cause at 76.6 deaths per 100,000, and followed by suicide (26.7), other homicides (22.0), heart disease (7.0), and cancer (6.3).The data used in this study do not differentiate between police killings that were later determined to be justified and those that were not. FBI data, which is widely acknowledged to be incomplete, shows that 400 to 500 homicides each year are determined to be justified, which is defined as "the killing of a felon by a law enforcement officer in the line of duty". Those deaths represent about half of the roughly 1,000 annual police killings that independent tallies, including those by The Washington Post and The Guardian, have found.For a black man, the risk of being killed by a police officer is about 2.5 times higher than that of a white man. "Our models predict that about 1 in 1,000 black men and boys will be killed by police over the life course," the authors write.In the 20 to 24 age group, black men represent nearly 2 per cent of such deaths, compared with 0.5 per cent for whites. A 40-year-old black man has about the same risk of being killed by a police officer as a 20-year-old white man.Because no reliable federal data exists for police killings, the authors turned to the data compiled by Fatal Encounters, a project that uses news reports, public records requests and crowdsourced information to tally officer-involved fatalities.The authors note that Fatal Encounters was "endorsed as a sound source of data" by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics in a 2016 report, but they warn that the data likely undercounts the number of officer-involved killings: "If any death is not covered by news organisations or is not documented in searchable public records," they note, "it will not appear in the data."The study excludes police-involved deaths determined to be a suicide, the result of a car accident or an accident, like an overdose or fall.Police killings are far more common in the United States than in other advanced democracies. That is partly because the US has a much higher homicide rate – "25.2 times higher" – than economically similar countries, according to a 2016 study.One of the prime drivers of that difference, research shows, is the nation's high rate of gun ownership: Americans make up 4 per cent of the global population, but own nearly half the guns in the world.The nation's high rates of violence and gun ownership make many police fearful for their lives, research shows. Data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund shows that, in recent years, 100 to 200 officers are killed annually in the line of duty. And other research shows that police are more likely to be killed in the line of duty in states with more permissive gun laws.Officers can respond to the threat of violence by using lethal force of their own: more than half of the 544 people shot and killed by police to date in 2019 were found to be carrying firearms, according to data compiled by The Washington Post.The authors of the PNAS report note another factor at play in the country's high rate of police shootings: "Austerity in social welfare and public health programmes has led to police and prisons becoming catchall responses to social problems," they wrote.In his recent book, "The End of Policing," sociologist Alex Vitale of Brooklyn College argues that police often end up being the de facto first responders for mental health issues because of "a decision that's been made by political leaders not to fund adequate community-based mental health services".At least 20 per cent of people fatally shot by police so far this year had documented mental health issues, according to The Post's data.The study's authors say their findings reinforce calls "to treat police violence as a public health issue" with "profound consequences for public health, democracy, and racial stratification".The Washington Post
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| The U.S. Navy’s Minesweeper Fleet Is in Bad Shape Posted: 06 Aug 2019 02:30 PM PDT  The Navy's number one means of countering Iranian sea mines in the Persian Gulf is long overdue for replacement.
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| Parts of Alaska Have No Sea Ice For the First Time Ever As Temperatures in the Region Hit Record Highs Posted: 07 Aug 2019 02:15 PM PDT  It will have ramifications on the arctic climate and the Earth as a whole
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| FDA tells four firms to stop selling flavored e-cigarette, hookah products Posted: 08 Aug 2019 07:11 AM PDT  The move comes against the backdrop of the FDA's efforts to curb the usage of the addictive substances among young adults. The FDA said the products had been introduced into the market after the effective date of a rule that extended FDA's authority to all tobacco products, thereby making them adulterated or misbranded.
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| On-board toys, pregnancy tests await migrant mothers-to-be Posted: 07 Aug 2019 07:29 PM PDT  The Ocean Viking is bound for the Libyan coast, and beside stocks of medicine and pregnancy kits, on-board midwife Marina is busy painting a turtle on the ship's migrant shelter. As well as preparing to treat the exhausted, dehydrated Africans the ship hopes to rescue, experience has taught her that she must be ready to welcome the children -- and any babies that may be born on board. "We know that we may have to keep patients on board for a while.
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| American Airlines adding first flights to Africa, Poland, returning to Tel Aviv Posted: 08 Aug 2019 01:00 AM PDT ![American Airlines adding first flights to Africa, Poland, returning to Tel Aviv]( "American Airlines adding first flights to Africa, Poland, returning to Tel Aviv") American plans to begin service between Philadelphia and Morocco and Chicago and Poland next summer. Flights to Israel will resume next fall.
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| China Rejects One Demand That Could Help Ease Hong Kong Protests Posted: 07 Aug 2019 03:34 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up for Next China, a weekly dispatch on where the country stands now and where it's going next.The Chinese authorities acknowledge Hong Kong's unrest is the worst since they regained the former British colony 22 years ago. Yet they have so far denied a key protester demand that even Beijing sympathizers support.On Wednesday, the head of China's top agency overseeing the city rejected an independent inquiry into the unrest, one of the few protester requests with support from business leaders and others who typically back the government. Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Director Zhang Xiaoming told a gathering of city representatives that the disturbances must end before any investigation, according to Michael Tien, a pro-establishment Hong Kong lawmaker who was at the event."They spent the whole morning stating the central government's stance: There's no room for any compromise," said Tien, adding that he was hopeful Beijing might eventually reconsider. "This is a long battle."The response shows how positions have hardened in recent days as some radical protesters focus their attacks on symbols of Chinese sovereignty and opposition figures accuse the government of colluding with stick-wielding mobs. After two months of unrest -- including marches of more than 1 million and the ransacking of the city's legislature -- Chief Executive Carrie Lam has refused to satisfy the protesters' main requests.While the largely leaderless demonstrators have circulated numerous lists of demands, calls for some kind of independent inquiry feature high on most. The suggestion has been endorsed by pro-Beijing lawmakers, foreign governments and others sympathetic to the establishment, with the American Chamber of Commerce calling for an "internationally credible" investigation.The protests initially began in opposition to Lam's legislation that would allow extraditions to mainland China and have since expanded into broad complaints about the Beijing-appointed government. Increasing clashes between demonstrators and police have prompted calls for an investigation into authorities' use of force, while others want a more general probe of the unrest and its causes."People are saying and I've said it publicly, we need an independent inquiry," said Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Holdings Ltd. An investigation could help "to settle things down. Because it has morphed into something beyond the bill. The bill is gone. It's now about unhappiness."Although Lam has declared the extradition legislation "dead," she has refused to formally withdraw the bill, meaning it could be resurrected with little notice. She has said that specific grievances against the police would be reviewed by a complaints council dominated by pro-establishment appointees."Some people may not agree with our response, but we have considered every factor involved and come up with the response that we have made," Lam told a news briefing Monday. The police have denied links to groups of men that have attacked protesters in recent days, calling on all sides to refrain from violence.Protesters argue government intransigence has helped sustain their movement through nine straight weeks of rallies, marches, sieges and strikes, including a successful citywide effort Monday to disrupt train services and commercial flights. Several strike participants told Bloomberg News they decided to join after Lam's briefing, in which she vowed a firm police response, without signaling any new concessions.The Hong Kong government has appointed several "commissions of inquiry" before and after its return to Chinese rule, including an investigation into violent labor disputes in Kowloon in 1966. The remarks by Zhang, China's top government official overseeing Hong Kong, came during a gathering of city representatives in Shenzhen, in which the lawmaker Tien advocated an inquiry.Zhang said that such an inquiry was inappropriate while the disturbances were ongoing, but one could be considered after the protests subsided. He described the unrest as the worst the city had experienced since the 1997 handover, an assertion few would question."It won't serve any useful purpose if it's just to apportion blame or to point the finger at the police," pro-establishment lawmaker Regina Ip said in an interview in her office on Tuesday, a copy of the 1966 inquiry report sitting on the desk. "And if you want reconciliation, it can't be done now, when violence is ongoing."The refusal to consider an inquiry illustrates Beijing's determination not to show any weakness against the protesters, some of whom have defaced the national emblem, destroyed flags and chanted pro-independence slogans. Still, supporters counter that an inquiry would help Chinese President Xi Jinping buy time -- six months or more.Some, such as Hong Kong Baptist University President Roland Chin, have suggested a "truth commission" that wouldn't apportion blame. The investigation might at least help deescalate confrontations between protesters and police, supporters say.Opposition lawmaker Claudia Mo, who has been a prominent participant in several of the largest protest marches, said she worried it was too late to mount an investigation that was viewed with credibility."The effectiveness, if any, would be cut by about half, but I personally hope they would do that," Mo said. "It could provide an opportunity for a more decent climb down, without a loss of face."(Updates with Zhang Xiaoming comment under "Use of Force" chart.)\--With assistance from Sheryl Tian Tong Lee and Natalie Lung.To contact the reporters on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.net;Blake Schmidt in Hong Kong at bschmidt16@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump Spokesperson Hogan Gidley Attacks Obama for Condemning Racism Posted: 06 Aug 2019 11:47 AM PDT  White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley became visibly agitated on Tuesday when Fox News host Melissa Francis brought up what she called a "somewhat veiled jab" from former President Barack Obama following the pair of mass shootings that have rocked the nation over these past few days. "We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments," Obama wrote, "leaders who demonize those who don't look like us, or suggest that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life, or refer to other people as sub-human, or imply that America belongs to just one certain type of people." Though he didn't mention President Donald Trump by name, Gidley could only assume that those words referred to his boss. "If only Barack Obama were in a place to make a difference at some point in his life," Gidley said, sarcastically. "Oh, wait a minute, he was the president of the United States." "For him to interject himself into this conversation, this debate, at this point, it's his right to do it," he continued. "But the fact is, Donald Trump is the president of all Americans. He's trying to move this country forward, and comments like that take us backward and take us to a dark place that we never want to be and we never want to visit again."CNN's Christiane Amanpour Relentlessly Grills Kellyanne Conway on Trump's Role in ShootingsDuring an appearance earlier in the day on Fox & Friends, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway took a similar stab at Obama, saying, "No one blamed him for Newtown, Connecticut., and he had his opportunity to go heal the nation."Even Trump himself couldn't help but respond to Obama's general condemnation of racism on Twitter, taking it all too personally. Paraphrasing Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade, Trump tweeted, "'Did George Bush ever condemn President Obama after Sandy Hook. President Obama had 32 mass shootings during his reign. Not many people said Obama is out of Control. Mass shootings were happening before the President even thought about running for Pres.'" 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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| View Photos of the 2019 Fiat 500X Posted: 08 Aug 2019 09:59 AM PDT |
| Pennsylvania mother charged in son's sippy cup death sentenced to prison Posted: 07 Aug 2019 12:52 PM PDT  A Pennsylvania woman will serve up to 50 years in state prison for the death of her 2-year-old son.
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| South Dakota rape case tests police seizure of placenta Posted: 07 Aug 2019 09:04 AM PDT ![South Dakota rape case tests police seizure of placenta]( "South Dakota rape case tests police seizure of placenta") The South Dakota Supreme Court will be asked to decide whether police investigating the possible statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl needed a warrant to seize a placenta or other materials discarded after an abortion. It's a tricky question in South Dakota, where strict laws discourage abortion and many politicians view fetuses as equal to fully formed humans. A deputy state's attorney argues in this case that the accused can have no expectation of privacy in medical remains and that tissue resulting from an abortion is simply waste, legally the same as household garbage.
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| Unknown men attack SAIL chairman with iron bars Posted: 08 Aug 2019 12:05 AM PDT  NEW DELHI/BENGALURU (Reuters) - Four unidentified men attacked the chief of India's largest state-owned steel firm, Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), with iron bars as he was driving home in a violent assault that he said on Thursday appeared linked to business dealings. Anil Kumar Chaudhary, 58, had left work on Wednesday night in New Delhi when his car was hit by another vehicle occupied by four people, the company said in a statement. Chaudhary, who was discharged from hospital after treatment, said he suspected people from companies that had previously done business with the state firm were behind the attack.
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