| Sanders suddenly finds himself in a tie with Biden and Buttigieg in new poll Posted: 05 Jan 2020 11:53 AM PST  With the Iowa caucuses less than a month away, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Pete Buttigieg find themselves in a three-way tie as the top choice for voters, according to a new CBS poll.
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| Australia Counts Wildfire Devastation After Calamitous Weekend Posted: 05 Jan 2020 12:39 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Hundreds of properties were destroyed across southeastern Australia after searing temperatures and strong winds exacerbated catastrophic wildfires Saturday in one of the worst days of the weeks-long crisis.Dozens of communities, from small towns on the south coast of New South Wales, to alpine villages in the neighboring Victoria state, were razed as fires grew so large they generated dry thunderstorms. Milder weather, including patchy rain, across scorched areas brought some relief Sunday, though flame-fanning wind gusts have frustrated efforts to quell about 200 blazes before conditions worsen later in the week, authorities said.Australia Fire Maps: Where the Devastating Wildfires Are BurningThousands of people, including tourists, heeded the advice of authorities and evacuated a 350-kilometer (217-mile) stretch of coastline as well as dangerous inland areas over the past few days to escape the intensifying infernos. But many remained, hosing down their properties to protect against falling embers as they anxiously waited to see if the winds would blow the fire front in their direction.The unfolding tragedy, that's blackened more than 5 million hectares (12.3 million acres) across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia alone, has prompted millions of dollars of donations and support from international celebrities, sports stars, and the British Royal Family.Australia's Wildfire Crisis: Key Numbers Behind the DisasterTwo people died in wildfires that destroyed more than a third of South Australia's Kangaroo Island, devastating the national park and farmland, and severely damaging the luxury Southern Ocean Lodge resort. Penrith, on the outskirts of Sydney, reached a record 48.9 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) Saturday, symbolic of the dangerous weather conditions that have fanned ferocious flames and sparked new blazes further south.Flights CanceledQantas Airways Ltd. canceled 27 flights Sunday afternoon arriving in and departing from Canberra, where air pollution was at least four times higher than the minimum threshold for "hazardous," prompting the release of particulate-filter masks from the national stockpile. Australia Post suspended mail deliveries to the national capital Friday, citing the impact of the poor air quality on the safety of its workers.Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Saturday an unprecedented level of military support to boost firefighting and recovery efforts as the national death toll since September rose to 23. A video set to electronic music posted on Morrison's Twitter and Facebook accounts outlining the additional measures sparked thousands of comments.Blind-SidedKey authorities in New South Wales and Victoria welcomed the news of the deployment of as many as 3,000 army reservists, but voiced disappointment that they weren't consulted ahead of the decision or briefed before Morrison detailed his response plans to the media.The AustraliaDefence Association lambasted the 50-second clip, which spawned mocking renditions and drew harsh criticism from Kevin Rudd, a former Labor party leader who served as prime minister twice from December 2007 to September 2013.Morrison, 51, defended the video, telling reporters Sunday that it was produced to "communicate as simply and helpfully" as possible what the government is doing to assist people. A link initially pinned to the post to donate to the leader's own Liberal party gave the appearance of a political advertisement, critics said."It came out as a Liberal party ad," said Stewart Jackson, a senior lecturer in the department of government and international relations at the University of Sydney. "It seems to have generated a certain amount of ire that the ad has been done before you've fully organized all the different branches of government to be able to work together."Political FalloutThe criticism adds to a backlash against Morrison for his handling of the wildfires -- highlighted by his curtailed trip to Hawaii just days after declaring a national disaster -- and tepid acknowledgment of the role of climate change in fueling them.The prime minister was heckled on Thursday by angry residents when he visited the fire-ravaged town of Cobargo, where two people died last week, while others declined to shake his hand and called for more resources to tackle the disaster."Morrison has been found considerably wanting in terms of his leadership," Jackson said. "You can't imagine previous prime ministers acting in what seems such a self-serving way."\--With assistance from Edward Johnson and Ben Bartenstein.To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Gale in Melbourne at j.gale@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Stanley JamesFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| On short notice, US fast-response force flies to Mideast Posted: 05 Jan 2020 06:32 AM PST  Being a U.S. soldier in a fast-response force sometimes means being sent halfway across the world within a day, leaving no time to say goodbye to those staying behind. "The kids kept going, 'When's Dad going to be home?'" said Shumard, 42.
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| NASA Has Lost Contact With Its Ambitious CubeSat Asteria Posted: 06 Jan 2020 06:54 AM PST  Luckily, the satellite already far exceeded its original mission parameters.
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| US soldier killed as Islamist group al Shabaab attacks Kenyan base Posted: 04 Jan 2020 11:18 PM PST  Somalia's al-Shabaab terror group targeted US forces in neighbouring Kenya for the first time on Sunday, killing three people and destroying American reconnaissance aircraft during an attack on a secretive military base. An unknown number of jihadist militants struck at Camp Simba, an American military facility located on a Kenyan naval base, shortly before dawn. The US military said one US service member and two contractors had been killed, while two while two Department of Defence officials were wounded. There were "fewer than 150" American soldiers at Camp Simba, which is located on Manda Bay close to the tourist resort of Lamu, when the attack took place, US officials said. Although the militants were unable to penetrate Camp Simba itself, they succeeded in overrunning an adjacent airfield where they set ablaze at least two planes, one of which was an American "Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance" aircraft used for missions in Somalia. The brazen nature of the attack — which took place more than 50 miles south of the Somali frontier — represents a significant escalation in al-Shabaab cross-border operations. The group has frequently carried out attacks on Kenyan troops in retaliation for the Kenyan army's military incursion into southern Somalia. But until now it has shied away from attacking US troops stationed in Kenya, although the group did mount mount a failed operation against American forces stationed in Somalia last September. Camp Simba, established in 2004, is one of the largest American military installations in Africa. It is frequently used by US special forces mounting covert operations in Somalia. One prominent analyst, Rashid Abdi, suggested that the attack "may have been a well-timed signal to Iran it is open for tactical alliances" following the US airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Iran's top general, in Baghdad on Friday. Mr Abdi said that Sunni al-Shabaab is fundamentally hostile to Shia Iran but noted that the Kenyan security services have long accused Gen Soleimani's Revolutionary Guards Corps of trying to woo the group into a marriage of convenience against the United States. But other analysts rejected the theory, saying that attacks like the one on Camp Simba normally involve months of preparation. They also suggested that al-Shabaab would alienate potential recruits if it sided with Iran. The US has mounted a growing number of airstrikes against al-Shabaab targets in Somalia in recent years. Sunday's attack forced a brief closure of Manda Island civilian airport, which is situated across a narrow stretch of water from Camp Simba and is used every year by thousands of British tourists heading to hotels on the Lamu archipelago.
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| Indonesia mobilizes fishermen in stand-off with China Posted: 06 Jan 2020 07:20 AM PST  Indonesia will mobilize fishermen to join warships in the South China Sea to help defend against Chinese vessels, the government said on Monday, as the biggest stand-off with China for years escalated off Southeast Asia's largest country. The stand-off since last month in the northern Natuna islands, where a Chinese coastguard vessel has accompanied Chinese fishing vessels, has soured the generally friendly relationship between Jakarta and Beijing. Indonesia's chief security minister, Mahfud MD, told reporters that around 120 fishermen from the island of Java would be sent to the Natuna islands, some 1,000 km (600 miles) to the north.
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| College students panic over FAFSA and the draft Posted: 05 Jan 2020 11:30 PM PST  Concerns over an active draft and FAFSA's role in the service even shut down the Selective Service System's website because of the sudden surge in traffic.
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| This $93,000 vintage German military Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen has been fully restored and can be dropped from a helicopter — see inside Posted: 05 Jan 2020 05:49 AM PST  The restoration is done by New Jersey-based Expedition Motor Company which sources the vintage 1991 G-Wagens from Germany.
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| U.S.-EU Trade Talks Vexed by Drums of a Real War Posted: 06 Jan 2020 04:00 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every day? Sign up for the Terms of Trade newsletter, and follow Bloomberg Economics on Twitter for more.The drums of war beating in Washington sound a lot more ominous than the kind accompanying tariff threats.That doesn't mean the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran won't have consequences for other relationships or global trade. They could well contribute to the revival of trade conflicts that markets have convinced themselves are in the rear-view mirror now that 2020 is upon us.But no trade or strategic relationship is likely to be tested faster or harder than the already fragile one with Europe.The Trump administration's decision to abandon the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that European Union powers were co-signatories to was a pre-existing source of tension, with European companies caught in the sanctions crossfire. Now that Iran has pulled the plug as well in the wake of the killing of a top Iranian general, things are unlikely to get better. Also causing friction were Trump's now frozen plans to levy tariffs on imported cars and more live ones to target champagne and other French products over France's digital services tax. Duties imposed in relation to a long-running trade feud between Airbus and Boeing haven't helped either. Those issues look episodic compared to what seems a lot like a broader breakdown in trans-Atlantic relations. It doesn't take much digging to establish that many in the Trump administration view the powers in Europe and institutions of the EU with an instinctive contempt. Trump, after all, has repeatedly called the EU (officially a U.S. ally) worse than China (an officially designated existential rival) on matters including trade. What irks the president and people close to him most may be Europe's defense of technocratic multilateralism and EU officials' refusal to bow to Trump's tariffs and other efforts to pressure them into even pretending to make a deal on American terms (an art China may well have mastered). European officials, meanwhile, view Trump's attack on the World Trade Organization and other pillars of the rules-based order as a peculiar populist's tantrum. Spend any time discussing trans-Atlantic relations with European officials and the emotion you run into quickly is bemusement. They relay specific complaints about the U.S.'s refusal to engage in meaningful discussions about issues like reforming the WTO or the willingness of Washington to allow the withering of potentially substantive efforts to create a joint front to take on China over industrial subsidies and other common complaints. But hanging over it all like a thunderhead is a broader European perplexion with a one-time friend's life choices.None of that is likely to be improved by what is developing between the U.S. and Iran. Charting the Trade WarThe U.S. Chamber of Commerce is warning that American businesses and consumers are bearing the brunt of the trade war and is calling on the administration to change course. Crunching Commerce Department data, it concludes that more than half of U.S. states are facing retaliatory tariffs on at least 25% of their exports to the EU and China.Today's Must ReadsJust a phase | The Chinese trade delegation including Vice Premier Liu He plans to sign the first phase of its trade deal with the U.S. in Washington on Jan. 15. Service charge | The euro-zone economy edged gradually away from stagnation at the end of 2019 as services picked up to counter moribund manufacturing. Brexit countdown | Companies most exposed to the uncertainty surrounding the U.K.'s exit from the EU have reduced hiring and investment and lost a substantial fraction of their market value Change the channel | Turkey's president said warships will be able to use a planned multibillion-dollar canal bisecting Istanbul, possibly undercutting a 20th-century agreement. USMCA support | Some Democratic presidential candidates are supporting the USMCA agreement while at least one other is distancing himself from the new North American trade deal.Economic AnalysisChina boost | China's economy showed stronger momentum in December for the first time in eight months, according to a range of early indicators, and Bloomberg Economics expects growth to improve in early 2020. World in 2030 | Bloomberg Economics' 10-year growth forecasts paint a picture of continued weakness, with aging populations, barriers to immigration, and weak productivity capping growth potential.Coming UpJan. 7: U.S. trade balance Jan. 8: France trade balance Jan. 9: Germany trade balance Jan. 14-16: EU trade chief Phil Hogan plans trip to Washington Jan. 15: Trumps plans to sign phase-one deal with ChinaLike Terms of Trade?Don't keep it to yourself. Colleagues and friends can sign up here. We also publish Balance of Power, a daily briefing on the latest in global politics.For even more: Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access for full global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close.How are we doing? We want to hear what you think about this newsletter. Let our trade tsar know.To contact the author of this story: Shawn Donnan in Washington at sdonnan@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Brendan Murray at brmurray@bloomberg.net, Zoe SchneeweissFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Inside the Mysterious Death of a Prosecutor Investigating an Alleged Iran Terror Attack That Killed 85 Jews Posted: 05 Jan 2020 02:03 AM PST  Despairing portraits of injustice—writ both small and large—don't come much bleaker than Nisman: The Prosecutor, the President and the Spy, Netflix's six-part docuseries about a terror attack in Argentina, the theories and investigations that followed, and the unbelievably shady death of the man accusing the country's president of colluding with foreign powers to let the perpetrators go free. Even on a streaming platform known for its pessimistic true-crime works concerning the unknowability of truth, Justin Webster's documentary is a gut-punch of a non-fiction exposé, recounting a tangled tale with few clear answers and considerably less hope.The story of scandals piled on top of crimes piled on top of more scandals, all of it leading to endless questions and unending misery, Nisman: The Prosecutor, the President and the Spy (available now) is, first and foremost, about the July 18, 1994, bombing of the Jewish cultural center AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) in Buenos Aires that left 85 dead and more than 200 injured. AMIA was the worst terror attack in Latin American history, and it fell to Jewish-Argentinian native Alberto Nisman to prosecute the case. In that trial, Nisman and his colleagues seemed to successfully argue that the heinous atrocity was carried out via a truck bomb that was procured by known criminal Carlos Telleldín, and that the suicide driver was a member of Hezbollah. Their contention that Telleldín had been in league with a cabal of crooked cops, however, fell apart thanks to mid-trial revelations, resulting in few credible culprits.How Two Online Sleuths Helped Track Down a Hollywood-Obsessed Internet KillerHow the Truth Disappears: Chinese Censorship and My Film 'One Child Nation'Nonetheless, the ambitious and morally righteous Nisman was asked to continue investigating AMIA. With the aid of Antonio "Jamie" Stiuso—the No. 2 intelligence agent in the country at the time—he came to believe that those responsible for the tragedy were the powers-that-be in Iran, who had employed their Hezbollah proxies to do the deed in a manner similar to the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center (among others). In the ensuing decade, Nisman mounted a highly public legal campaign against Iran as well as Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner, who—along with her chancellor Héctor Timerman, and others in her cabinet—he claimed had conspired with Iran to let the suspected terrorists behind the attack go free. So convinced was Nisman that Kirchner had tried to rescind Interpol's "Red Notice" arrest warrants for the wrongdoers, all in order to solidify business dealings with Iran, that he filed a formal complaint in 2015 charging the president with treason.And then, on Jan. 18, 2015, a day before he was set to appear before Congress to present evidence in support of that charge, Nisman was found dead in his apartment, the victim of a single gunshot wound to the head.Suspicious timing, no? Anyone with a semi-functioning frontal lobe immediately suspected foul play. And the fact that Nisman had voiced plenty of concern about his personal safety, but shown no signs of suicidal depression (he was a separated father of two who was devoted to his daughters, and living a single life amidst a bevy of models), only amplified such hunches. The problem was, the forensic evidence was, and remains, inconclusive; for all the testimony presented by experts, replete with CGI recreations and gunpowder residue and blood-spatter analysis, there's simply no way to definitively know whether Nisman did the deed himself, or if a third-party shooter was responsible. Even a late eye-opener about ketamine in Nisman's system (possibly related to his earlier Wikipedia searches about psychedelia?) can't fully convince one that he was offed by a nefarious agent.Then again, nothing in Nisman: The Prosecutor, the President and the Spy is 100 percent persuasive. The links between Iran and the AMIA bombing come across as frustratingly insubstantial. The same goes for Argentinian intelligence agencies' own potential role in the crime. There are tons of wiretap conversations featuring a shadowy inside-man known as Allan Bogado, who was supplying Iran with intel on Nisman and Kirchner. Yet despite director Webster getting Bogado on camera to talk about his conduct, it's never clear whether he was a traitor, a double-agent, or a fraud. There are also calls between Stiuso and fellow intelligence cohorts in the hours leading up to the discovery of Nisman's body that, according to prosecutor Viviana Fein, point to pre-release knowledge about his death—but their purpose is never ascertained. That Nisman was flush with an eye-opening amount of cash (far more than his income would have provided) is merely another in a string of questionable details sans decent explanation.In other words, good luck parsing almost any element of Nisman: The Prosecutor, the President and the Spy, which is drowning in dates and developments from the past quarter-century of Argentinian politics. Webster employs timelines, dramatic recreations, crime-scene footage, new and old interviews, and obnoxious TV broadcasts (which function as their own damning critique of a media world gone mad) to try to streamline his knotty material while simultaneously shaping it in a dramatic thriller-mystery mold. The effort, alas, is only partially successful. No matter the six-hour-plus runtime, there's sometimes too much information to lucidly process, especially given that the director eschews a straightforward chronology, jumping backwards and forwards in time to shine a light on various investigative avenues. A working knowledge of recent Argentinian history will help viewers navigate these turbulent waters. Still, a simpler, less adventurous narrative structure would have made this twisty-turn affair quite a bit easier to digest.Nisman: The Prosecutor, the President and the Spy eventually suggests that Nisman may have been the victim of a conspiracy himself, orchestrated by Stiuso, a 30-year intelligence operative whose cagey interviews are marked by Cheshire Cat grins and shrugged-shoulder expressions that imply he knows infinitely more than he's letting on. Stiuso's ability to cling to his powerful position through multiple regimes (some dictatorial, some democratic) is a testament to his cunning ability to manipulate and exploit. Ultimately, this formidable and mysterious spy seems to be the true mastermind of this sprawling saga—and a figure who proves that outsiders (such as Nisman) wade into treacherous espionage waters at their own great peril.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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| Australia to pay 'whatever it takes' to fight wildfires Posted: 05 Jan 2020 04:59 PM PST  Australia's government said Monday it was willing to pay "whatever it takes" to help communities recover from deadly wildfires that have ravaged the country. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was committing an extra 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion) toward the recovery effort in addition to the tens of millions of dollars that have already been promised. Morrison's announcement of the funds, which will go toward rebuilding towns and infrastructure destroyed by the fires, came as the death toll from the disaster rose with the discovery of a body in a remote part of New South Wales.
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| Ghosn escaped from Japan after hiding in large crate too big for airport scanners: Reports Posted: 06 Jan 2020 06:42 AM PST  Carlos Ghosn managed to sneak out of Japan undetected due to a simple design limitation on a luggage scanner at a Japanese airport, the Wall Street Journal and Nikkei Asian Review reported.
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| US army to 'pay price' for killing Soleimani: Hezbollah chief Posted: 05 Jan 2020 08:27 AM PST  Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday said the US army will "pay the price" for killing top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and a senior Iraqi commander in a drone strike. "The American army killed them and it will pay the price," the Iran-backed head of the Lebanese Shiite group warned in a televised speech following Friday's strike in the Iraqi capital. "The only just punishment is (to target) American military presence in the region: US military bases, US warships, each and every officer and soldier in the region," Nasrallah said.
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| Russian government to 'use the advantages' of climate change Posted: 05 Jan 2020 01:07 PM PST  Russia is planning to "use the advantages" of warmer temperatures brought about by climate change, according to a document published by the government at the weekend. The report notes increased opportunities for navigation and trade as ice melts in the Arctic, an area where Russia has also boosted its military presence in recent years. The two-year, "first stage" plan lists other advantages including decreased spending on heating over the winter and the possibility of new areas available for farming. But the 30-point paper also focuses on the risks of climate change and the dangers it poses to public health, animal environments and the Russian permafrost. "The consequences of (climate change) are having a significant and increasing impact on the economic and social development of the country, its conditions for life and people's health," according to the document signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Russia is warming on average 2.5 times quicker than the rest of the planet, the report said, adding that the country's industry, transport and agriculture would have to adapt to these changes. The government said it would plan for crisis scenarios including evacuations in the case of natural disasters, and make sure climate change was taught in schools. The publication comes after Moscow experienced its warmest December on record, with authorities dumping artificial snow in Red Square ahead of New Year celebrations. Normally the capital spends millions of pounds a year and employs tens of thousands of people to keep roads and pavements free of snow. President Vladimir Putin has questioned the scientific consensus that global warming is caused by human activity, saying at a recent press conference that "nobody knows the origins of global climate change". But he said that rising temperatures could have "very serious" consequences from Russia. Moscow has formally adopted the Paris climate accord and criticised the US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the deal
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| U.S. implements plan to send Mexican asylum seekers to Guatemala Posted: 06 Jan 2020 09:32 AM PST  Mexicans seeking asylum in the United States could be sent to Guatemala under a bilateral agreement signed by the Central American nation last year, according to documents sent to U.S. asylum officers in recent days and seen by Reuters. In a Jan. 4 email, field office staff at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) were told Mexican nationals will be included in the populations "amenable" to the agreement with Guatemala. The agreement, brokered last July between the administration of Republican President Donald Trump and the outgoing Guatemalan government, allows U.S. immigration officials to force migrants requesting asylum at the U.S.-Mexican border to apply for protection there.
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| China Bought Russia's S-400 Missiles, Taiwan Now Needs More SAMs Posted: 06 Jan 2020 03:00 AM PST  Missiles over fighters.
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| Ethiopian Party Seeks New Alliances After Rejecting Prime Minister’s Unity Party Posted: 06 Jan 2020 05:54 AM PST ![Ethiopian Party Seeks New Alliances After Rejecting Prime Minister's Unity Party]( "Ethiopian Party Seeks New Alliances After Rejecting Prime Minister's Unity Party") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Next Africa newsletter and follow Bloomberg Africa on TwitterA leading member of Ethiopia's former ruling coalition is seeking fresh alliances after it rejected Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's new unity party ahead of elections this year.The Tigray People's Liberation Front, TPLF, said the Prosperity Party, which set out to merge members of the now defunct Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, poses a "clear difference of purpose." The new formation has eight parties including three members of the EPRDF, formerly a TPLF-controlled rebel group that governed Ethiopia since Mengistu Haile Mariam's Marxist regime was overthrown in 1991.The unity party as part of Abiy-led reforms in Ethiopia envisions fair representation of the Horn of Africa country's ethnic groups.The TPLF leadership is considering strategic relationships with other "federalist forces as a forum, coalition or a front," it said in a statement on its Facebook page after a meeting on Sunday.To contact the reporter on this story: Samuel Gebre in Abidjan at sgebre@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Malingha at dmalingha@bloomberg.net, Helen NyamburaFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| From Iran With Love: North Korean Drones Are Sure To Fight In Its Next War Posted: 05 Jan 2020 11:30 PM PST  North Korea will learn from Iran's experiences.
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| 'Scale of the disaster is enormous': Bush fires, politics intensify as Australia burns Posted: 06 Jan 2020 09:54 AM PST  Scott Morrison, prime minister of Australia, unveiled a two-year plan Sunday aimed at recovering from the historic blazes that have been ravaging the nation.
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| Attackers beat protesting students at Indian university Posted: 05 Jan 2020 10:05 PM PST  Masked assailants beat students and teachers with sticks on the campus of a prestigious university in India's capital, injuring more than 20 people in an attack opposition lawmakers are trying to link to the government. Videos that emerged after the assault late Sunday showed people in masks roaming inside the corridors of Jawaharlal Nehru University and beating students who were protesting against a fee hike. Most of the injured were treated at a hospital for cuts and bruises, said Aarti Vij, a spokeswoman at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
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| Where Does Admiral Yamamoto Go to Get His Apology? Posted: 06 Jan 2020 03:30 AM PST  Before there was Qasem Soleimani, there was Admiral Yamamoto.In 1943, the U.S. targeted the exceptionally skilled Japanese commander and killed him in what constituted a precision attack for the time — with the P-38G Lightnings that intercepted him midair playing the role of the MQ-9 Reaper.If it was wrong to kill Soleimani, it was wrong to kill Yamamoto — just as barbaric and illegal, just as damnable an "assassination."Of course, no celebrities back in World War II apologized to Imperial Japan, as actress Rose McGowan did to Iran after the killing of Soleimani in a now-semi-retracted sentiment. There wasn't a debate about the operation's legality. Members of the opposition party didn't call it an assassination. No former sports star — and corporate brand ambassador — condemned it as a lamentable instance of American militarism.Indeed, if he's being consistent, Colin Kaepernick must view the killing of Yamamoto as yet another example of American authorities seeking to control and destroy the bodies of nonwhite men.Obviously, the targeted killings of Soleimani and Yamamoto aren't exactly parallel. We were in a declared war with Japan, a conflict on a much larger scale than that with Iran. But both men were commanders of enemy forces actively engaged in killing Americans, and both were taken out in a combat theater. Both of the targeted killings were fully justified legally and morally.What were considered the advantages of going after Yamamoto resemble those of hitting Soleimani.Like Soleimani, Yamamoto was vulnerable because he was on the move, on a visit to Japanese units. We intercepted a Japanese signal revealing his imminent whereabouts, on the periphery of the range of U.S. aircraft. Admiral Chester Nimitz made the call to target him.As Donald A. Davis notes in his book Lightning Strike, the fact that Yamamoto, who carried out the Pearl Harbor attack, was responsible for the deaths of so many Americans motivated us to go after him. "The blood of thousands of American and Allied soldiers, sailors, and airmen had been spilled because of Yamamoto," he writes, "and here was an opportunity to eliminate him."The motive here wasn't subtle. The strike at Yamamoto was dubbed Operation Vengeance.The centrality of Yamamoto to the enemy war effort also played a role. "Yamamoto was the beating heart of the Japanese navy," Davis continues. "In his own country, he was seen as embodying the unwavering Bushido fighting spirit."It was hoped that his loss would stagger Tokyo, and so it did — after an amazing feat of U.S. airmanship downed Yamamoto's plane, which crashed in the jungle on the island of Bougainville.There was some worry when considering whether to kill him that Yamamoto's successor might be even more formidable. But it was brushed aside. Nimitz asked his exceptional intelligence officer, Edwin Layton, if he was confident that were none better who could replace Yamamoto. "Absolutely none," Layton replied, according to his later account. "Absolutely none."A comment at the outset of the Yamamoto operation could just as easily have applied to the Soleimani operation:"TALLYHO X LET'S GET THE BASTARD."
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| Philippine war on drugs fails to curb methamphetamine supply: VP Posted: 06 Jan 2020 07:17 AM PST  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs has only managed to curb the supply of methamphetamine by less than 1 percent of annual consumption, proof that it has been a failure, his main political rival, the vice president, said on Monday.
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| Germany seeks crisis meeting of EU foreign ministers Posted: 05 Jan 2020 02:16 PM PST  German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on Sunday for a crisis meeting of his European Union counterparts this week to discuss escalating tension in the Middle East following the killing of a top Iranian military commander in Iraq by the United States. "As Europeans, we have tried and tested and resilient channels of communication on all sides, which we must make full use of in this situation," Maas said in a statement. Maas has proposed to EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell that a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers be brought forward to this week to agree on a common approach.
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| Pelosi says House will vote on war powers resolution this week Posted: 06 Jan 2020 12:01 AM PST  Fellow Democrat Tim Kaine introduced a similar measure in the Senate.
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| Erdogan Says Warships May Bypass 1936 Treaty With Planned Canal Posted: 06 Jan 2020 12:57 AM PST ![Erdogan Says Warships May Bypass 1936 Treaty With Planned Canal]( "Erdogan Says Warships May Bypass 1936 Treaty With Planned Canal") (Bloomberg) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said warships will be able to use a planned multibillion-dollar canal bisecting Istanbul, possibly undercutting a 20th-century agreement meant to ensure stability and security in the Black Sea region.Instead of crossing the narrow Bosporus strait, Erdogan said military ships will instead be able to use Canal Istanbul, which will similarly link the Black and Marmara seas. The project is meant to ease shipping traffic and the risk of accidents in the Bosporus, which runs through the middle of Turkey's biggest city. It could create jobs for 10,000 people as well as a new city along its route.Speaking in an interview with CNN-Turk television late Sunday, Erdogan didn't elaborate on whether any limitations would be imposed on the passage of warships through Canal Istanbul.Turkey to Build Canal Through Istanbul to Bypass BosporusTurkey could be courting another controversy with one of the most ambitious projects of Erdogan's almost two decades in power. After years of work since it was first unveiled in 2011, the ruling party has said the canal has finally become ripe for a tender process.The option presented by the planned 45-kilometer (28-mile) canal for warships, including navies from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, adds a significant political dimension to what Erdogan dubbed his "crazy project." It's already mired in questions over financing and its impact on the environment.Endangering Treaty?If Turkey uses it as an alternative route to assert more autonomy, it could potentially trigger an international debate on whether such a move would violate the 1936 Montreux Convention.The convention limits deployments in the Black Sea to 21 days for navies not belonging to Black Sea states. It also regulates the number and the maximum aggregate tonnage of all foreign naval forces that may pass the Turkish straits while barring the passage of all aircraft carriers.Erdogan said the convention was only "binding" for the Turkish straits and the Canal Istanbul project would be "totally outside Montreux."Responding to a question on whether warships will continue to cross the Turkish straits under the limits set down by the treaty, he said: "We would find a solution for them."Istanbul's New Mayor Takes On Erdogan's Pet Canal Project"If necessary, they may cross here, too," Erdogan said, referring to the passage of warships through the future channel.Turkey may charge ships passing through Canal Istanbul, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday. However, navigation through the Turkish straits is free, and it's not clear how Turkey would encourage ships to traverse the new waterway instead.Erdogan's 'Crazy Project' Prompts Warning of Environmental Ruin\--With assistance from Firat Kozok.To contact the reporter on this story: Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara at shacaoglu@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, Paul Abelsky, Amy TeibelFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Fact: Iran Is No Persian Empire (And Should Be Treated As Such) Posted: 04 Jan 2020 07:00 PM PST  America has more important priorities.
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| Boeing 737 Max investigation after several plane crashes revealed additional concerns with wiring and engines Posted: 05 Jan 2020 01:51 PM PST  Software played a role in two deadly crashes that grounded the Boeing 737 Max, but the investigation also unearthed concerns with wiring and engines.
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| Thousands protest in Pakistan over U.S. killing of Iranian commander Posted: 05 Jan 2020 08:56 AM PST  KARACHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Protestors clashed with police in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Sunday, as thousands of demonstrators attempted to march toward the U.S. consulate to protest the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani. Soleimani, a powerful Iranian military commander and the architect of Iran's spreading military influence in the Middle East, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq on Friday.
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| Guaidó blocked from congress as Venezuelan conflict deepens Posted: 04 Jan 2020 09:01 PM PST  Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó was violently blocked Sunday from presiding over a special session of congress where rivals proclaimed a substitute leader — moves opposition officials condemned as a hijacking of the country's last democratic institution. Guaidó — whose legal challenge to the socialist government has been based on his role as head of congress — headed a small group of lawmakers trying to access the neoclassical palace where the opposition-controlled National Assembly was set to elect its leader. As scuffles broke out, the U.S.-backed leader tried to mount an iron fence surrounding the legislature, only to be repelled again.
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| Oklahoma Suspects Murdered Teen as ‘Payback’ for STD: Cops Posted: 05 Jan 2020 02:22 PM PST  Oklahoma prosecutors charged two people on Friday for the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl in what is reportedly a case of 'payback' over a sexually transmitted disease. Andrew Hall, 30, and Cheyenne Blalock, 17, were charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Kirstan Patterson, 17, according to court documents. Patterson's mother and stepfather reported the teenager missing on New Year's Day and her body was found hours later near the Spring Creek boat dock on the Neosho River in Mayes County, with a gunshot wound to the head, deputies said. The Mayes County Sheriff's Office arrested Hall and Blalock later that day and they are being held on a $1 million bond. Their next court appearances are set for Jan. 9. How This Cop's Dream About a Murder Reopened a Cold Case"Blalock said that Andrew Hall, her boyfriend, had talked about killing Kirstan before because of a transmission of a sexually transmitted disease and wanted to 'payback,'" a Mayes County Sheriff's Office detective wrote in a probable cause affidavit. Interviews with both Hall and Blalock revealed that Hall had discussed several ways of killing Patterson, according to investigators. Sheriff Mike Reed said the two suspects and the victim all lived in Chouteau and previously knew each other. Blalock and Patterson reportedly attended the same school in the Oklahoma town.Authorities said that Blalock hid under a blanket in the back of Hall's car on New Year's Day when he picked up Patterson and drove to the Spring Creek Recreation Area. Hall allegedly told detectives that Blalock had knives on her and thought she "was only going to physically assault" Patterson, according to the affidavit, and that he complied with her demands because he feared that she would hurt him.Deputies said that both Hall and Blalock claim the other procured a rifle from Hall's truck and shot Patterson in the head. Blalock told detectives that she did not see the shooting but heard two shots, and subsequently touched Patterson's body to confirm she was dead. "Blalock said Hall poured bleach on the body in some effort to destroy evidence, and then Hall moved the body into the water," the affidavit reads. Both suspects reportedly told investigators that Hall hid the rifle under his bed at his Chouteau residence. Mayes County Sheriff's Office Maj. Rod Howell said Blalock and Hall have pointed the blame at one another for the homicide. "Our heart goes out to the family," said Howell. "I've met with them, visited with them in depth, and I just can't understand what they're going through." "I've got kids, and I just couldn't even fathom," he added.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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| Germans who live near wind turbines should be paid compensation, says government minister Posted: 05 Jan 2020 01:13 PM PST  Germans who live near wind turbines could be paid compensation by the government under a proposal to boost supplies of renewable energy. Matthias Miersch of Germany's Social Democrat party (SPD) said his scheme would encourage Germans to move near the controversial wind farms as well as rewarding those who already do. The payments would either be made to community organisations and municipalities, or directly to home-owners. Mr Miersch told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung "those who accept windmills in their neighbourhood make the expansion of renewable energy possible and should be rewarded". The proposal has not met with widespread approval, however, with Uwe Brandl of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities saying the payments were effectively "hush money". "If we start paying people to keep quiet, it'll start with windmills and then go on with roads and other infrastructure," Mr Brandl said. Wind farm growth has slowed in Germany, with 2020 having the fewest planned new turbines for 20 years, potentially undermining the country's efforts to achieve its renewable energy goals set under the Paris Agreement. Germany plans to draw 65 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. While Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats - the larger part of Germany's governing coalition – did not respond on Sunday, the Greens have welcomed the plan. The scheme does not indicate the amount of compensation or potential cost to the taxpayer. Despite widespread support for renewable energy across Germany, residents living near wind farms have frequently complained about noise and visual pollution. Conservationists have also criticised wind farms for posing a deadly threat to birds, bats and insects. While the scale of the project is novel, the idea of compensating those who live near wind farms in Germany is not new. The northern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in 2016 required that companies building wind farms needed to offer 20 percent of their shares to residents and municipalities within five kilometres of the proposed farms. Similarly, local authorities in the eastern state of Brandenburg receive a payment of €10,000 (£8,500) per wind turbine per annum.
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| Russia Captured An Unexploded U.S. Tomahawk Used In Syria, And Plans To Use It Against America Posted: 05 Jan 2020 11:00 PM PST  Houston, we have a problem.
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| Saudi Arabia Says ‘Very Keen’ to Avoid Regional Escalation Posted: 06 Jan 2020 04:22 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia's foreign minister hopes all actors involved in the recent Middle East flare-up take steps to avoid escalation."We are very keen that the situation in the region doesn't escalate any further," Prince Faisal bin Farhan said at a press conference in Riyadh Monday. "It's certainly a very dangerous moment and we have to be conscious of the risks and dangers not just to the region but to wider global security."Read: Iran Warns Those Who Supported Soleimani Killing 'Will Pay' (1)Prince Faisal was speaking days after a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad killed top Iranian and Iraqi commanders, raising prospects of a military confrontation in the Middle East.To contact the reporter on this story: Vivian Nereim in Riyadh at vnereim@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net, Abbas Al Lawati, Claudia MaedlerFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| China can still salvage 'one country, two systems' in Hong Kong – here's how Posted: 06 Jan 2020 04:07 AM PST  Authorities in Hong Kong may have hoped to start 2020 by putting a turbulent period of sustained, often violent protests behind them. Instead hundreds of thousands of protesters ushered in the new year by taking to the streets. Around 400 were arrested as protesters continued their push for political reform on the densely populated island.The clash between the government and demonstrators is now seven months long and has served to further erode Hong Kongers' trust in China's commitment to the "one country, two systems" formula. Under that principle, the region was granted a degree of autonomy over its own matters in 1997. But a perception that Beijing is increasingly imposing its authority has led not only to a more militant protest movement, but one that is eyeing separation from the mainland.As a political scientist who has closely followed political developments in Hong Kong over the last decade, I have watched trust in Beijing ebb away during the sustained unrest.If China wants to correct this course and convince Hong Kongers that their best hope lies in autonomy rather than independence, then I believe it must permit genuine democracy in the region. Cycle of unrestThe people of Hong Kong have not had much of a say in their own destiny. Not only did they lack political power as a colony of the British, but they also weren't consulted in the drafting of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration that set the terms for the 1997 handover of the territory from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China. Nevertheless, that agreement offered an implicit bargain to Hong Kongers: They would submit to Beijing's sovereignty in return for the promise of a "high degree of autonomy" on the basis of "one country, two systems."Over the past two decades, major outbreaks of unrest in Hong Kong have followed attempts by Beijing to impose unwanted measures that violate this bargain. Large-scale protests beat back Beijing-directed legislative proposals dealing with sedition in 2003, national education in 2012 and extradition last year. The Umbrella Movement protests of 2014 succeeded in stymieing Beijing's proposed revisions to Hong Kong's system for selecting its chief executive, but protesters' demands for universal suffrage and an open nomination process were rejected.Many Hong Kongers consider this interference a violation of the promised autonomy built into the terms of the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution. This interference reinforces fears that the city will lose its autonomy entirely after 2047, the end point of commitments made under the Joint Declaration.With only limited and inadequate democratic mechanisms at their disposal, Hong Kongers have developed a vibrant and increasingly militant protest culture as a primary means for exercising political influence. Autonomy or independence?Efforts to steer Hong Kong toward greater integration with the mainland have backfired, undermining trust in Beijing's promise of a "high degree of autonomy." The result is an ongoing cycle of radicalization. The focal point for many protesters has moved away from any one particular issue to focus on the fundamental status of Hong Kong's relationship to China. Growing numbers of people are questioning why they should keep their side of the bargain – accepting Beijing's sovereignty over Hong Kong. According to a recent Reuters poll, 17% of Hong Kongers express outright support for independence from China, while another 20% express dissatisfaction with the "one country, two systems" model. Moreover, 59% of respondents said they supported the recent protests and over one-third had themselves attended a protest.According to a separate survey, support for eventual independence among young people approaches 40%. Many young people have also come to reject any "Chinese" identity in favor of a "Hong Kong" identity.The depth of discontent among Hong Kongers was reflected in the District Council elections held on Nov. 24. These low-level posts have traditionally been dominated by pro-Beijing political parties. The recent elections, however, brought a record turnout with pro-democratic parties winning close to 90% of contested positions. Beijing's miscalculationTo blunt the growth of separatist sentiment in Hong Kong, Beijing must tackle what social scientists call a "commitment problem." In any negotiation, each side will cooperate only if they believe that the other side is both willing and able to carry out any commitments made as part of the bargain. If either side believes the other side's commitments lack credibility, then cooperation fails. What China needs to do now is show that it is committed to respecting the autonomy promises embodied in the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.I believe the best way to do that is for Beijing to stop manipulating governance of the city. As long as selection of the chief executive and a majority of the Legislative Council lies in Beijing's hands, it will be difficult for the mainland to resist meddling in Hong Kong's affairs and for Hong Kongers to feel that autonomy offers them any real say over their fate.In other words, Beijing could undercut calls for independence and interrupt the cycle of mass protests by offering Hong Kongers the ability to select their leaders through free and fair elections.Beijing badly miscalculated in 2014 when it proposed electoral reforms that fell far short of the demands of Hong Kong's pan-democratic camp, a coalition of parties that advocate universal suffrage. As a consequence, older, mainstream leaders lost control of the protest movement to younger, more militant activists. By 2019, young radicals resorted to violent street actions coupled with harsh anti-Beijing rhetoric. Yet a move toward democracy could still calm the waters provided the process allowed for genuine and effective local participation.This proposal may be far-fetched. Indeed, some accounts suggest that leaders in Beijing are laying plans to move in the opposite direction by taking more direct control over Hong Kong's political and legal institutions. Moreover, Beijing worries that full democracy in Hong Kong might lead to demands for the same elsewhere in China.If a democratic solution to China's Hong Kong problem appears unattractive to Beijing, the alternatives may be worse. The current cycle of provocation, protest, radicalization and rising separatism can lead to only one eventual result: a violent crackdown that would damage China's reputation and leave it in costly occupation of a sullen and defiant population for a generation or more.[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * As Digital Earth gains momentum, China is setting the pace * Unrest in Latin America makes authoritarianism look more appealing to someDavid Skidmore does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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| Turkish military units moving to Libya, Erdogan says Posted: 05 Jan 2020 11:26 AM PST  President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkish military units had started moving to Libya to support Fayez al-Serraj's internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli. Turkey's parliament approved a bill on Thursday that allows for the deployment of troops in Libya to protect Ankara's interests in North Africa and the Mediterranean and to help achieve peace and stability in Libya.
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| Mudslides, blackouts hamper search after Indonesia floods Posted: 05 Jan 2020 05:27 PM PST  Mudslides and power blackouts hampered the search for people missing in massive floods in Indonesia's capital, where more than 60 people have died and some of the tens of thousands of evacuees were living in damp, cramped emergency shelters. Monsoon rains and rising rivers submerged a dozen districts in the greater Jakarta area after extreme New Year's Eve rains, causing landslides in hilly areas on the outskirts of the capital that buried scores of people. More rain is in the forecast, and the potential for more extreme rainfall is possible for the next month.
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| Thousands of koalas burn to death as Australia fears native wildlife may never recover from bush fire disaster Posted: 05 Jan 2020 01:31 PM PST  At least 25,000 koalas are believed to have died in a horrific wildfire in South Australia that may have devastating consequences for the survival of the species. The fire on Kangaroo Island, which was considered a koala safe-haven because its population had escaped a devastating chlamydia epidemic, was described as "virtually unstoppable" on Saturday by firefighters. On Friday, koala rescuer Margaret Hearle told The Telegraph that another important koala population, nicknamed "the gene pool" because of its good health, had been "wiped out" in Crestwood, New South Wales. Footage filmed by an ABC cameraman in New South Wales on Sunday showed the charred corpses of hundreds of kangaroos and sheep lying by the roadside. "Sorry to share these images near Batlow, NSW. It's completely heartbreaking. Worst thing I've seen. Story must be told," he said on Twitter. A South Australia firefighter gives water to a dehydrated koala rescued from a wildfire in December Credit: OAKBANK BALHANNAH CFS Cooler temperatures and lighter winds brought some relief in New South Wales and Victoria on Sunday, but authorities warned and extremely hot and dry weather is expected to return within days and that fires will continue to burn for weeks. Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, defended his handling of the wildfire crisis on Sunday, saying "blame doesn't help anybody at this time and over-analysis of these things is not a productive exercise". Wildlife experts estimate that half a billion mammals, birds, and reptiles have been killed in the fires in recent weeks. There are fears endangered species in sanctuaries like Kangaroo Island, which was also home to 50,000 kangaroos before the fire, have been lost forever. Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park co-owner Sam Mitchell told local media the park was expecting to treat hundreds of starving and injured koalas in coming weeks, and is building extra enclosures in preparation. A NPWS firefighting Landcruiser lies burnt on Tallowa Dam Rd in Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales Credit: Photo by Wolter Peeters/The Sydney Morning Herald/Fairfax Media via Getty Images/ Fairfax Media About £10,600,000 worth of bluegum and pine trees on plantations were also lost. In New South Wales, temperatures are forecast to pass 40 degrees C again on Friday, and in Victoria three blazes remain at emergency level despite the cooler weather and subsiding winds. Four people remain missing in that state, and the air and sea evacuation from Mallacoota, a town that was cut off by the fires, is continuing. Early on Sunday Dave Harrison, 47, died of a heart attack in New South Wales while fighting to save a friend's rural property in Batlow. Still from footage showing dead kangaroos and sheep after wildfires hit the Kangaroo Island, South Australia Credit: Australian Broadcasting Corporation His brother Peter said he "was just that sort of guy… He would help anyone at the drop of a hat - he would drive hours to help you". "They had a plan to get out, but I just think he was overcome by the heat, the smoke, the exhaustion, running around putting out spot fires everywhere," he told Nine News. Australia bushfires | Tell us your story At least 24 people have died during the fire crisis. It is believed at least another 60 homes were destroyed in New South Wales overnight and that estimate is expected to rise significantly as crews conduct further assessments. While it took weeks of pressure for the Federal Government to commit to an additional $11million (£5.8million) of funding for water bombers, Australian comedian Celeste Barber has raised $25million (£13.3million) in donations for the NSW Rural Fire Service from the public, including people from around the world, in just three days. American singer Pink and Australian actor Nicole Kidman pledged half a million dollars each to the cause.
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| Former I.Coast rebel leader dies in New York Posted: 06 Jan 2020 05:44 AM PST  Issiaka Ouattara, a key figure in the years-long unrest that gripped Ivory Coast at the start of the century, has died in a New York hospital at the age of 53, associates said on Monday. "He died from illness this morning in a New York hospital," where he had been admitted several weeks ago, Affoussiata Bamba-Lamine, an attorney linked to former rebel commander Guillaume Soro, told AFP. "One of the pillars of September 19 2002 has fallen," Soro said on Twitter, referring to the start of a revolt in northern Ivory Coast that split the country in two.
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| 2019-2020 Flu Season on Track to Be Especially Severe, New CDC Data Suggests Posted: 04 Jan 2020 02:04 PM PST  The number of flu cases in the U.S. has risen sharply since the season began in the fall
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