| Britain to send second warship to Gulf amid rising tension with Iran Posted: 12 Jul 2019 04:54 AM PDT  Britain is sending a second warship to the Gulf amid rising tensions with Iran, as it said it was discussing with the US the possibility of building up its military presence in the area. Relations between Tehran and the West have come under increasing strain after UK authorities seized an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar heading for Syria and a Royal Navy ship was harassed by Revolutionary Guards in the Strait of Hormuz. The HMS Duncan, a Type 45 Destroyer and one of the most advanced warships in the world, will sail to the Gulf in the coming days to provide support to the HMS Montrose. It is understood it was due to travel to the region, but its deployment was brought forward in light of recent events. Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, said that sending HMS Duncan was "about our responsibility to do everything we can to protect British shipping" in comments made after a disclosure by Theresa May's office that Britain was talking to the US about building up its presence in the strategic choke point. "But this is not an Iran-specific issue," Mr Hunt said. "Notwithstanding the broader tensions in the region - this is about Syria and about a breach of the sanctions against Syria, which of course is a country that Iran is active in." Gulf of Oman While not strictly linked, the fate of the impounded Grace 1 vessel has become tied to the future of the nuclear deal. The Islamic Republic on Friday called on Britain to release its seized oil tanker and warned foreign powers to "leave the region because Iran and other regional countries are capable of securing the regional security". Abbas Mousavi, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, told the IRNA news agency: "This is a dangerous game and has consequences ... The legal pretexts for the capture are not valid ... The release of the tanker is in all countries' interests." Sources suggested the move was done on US instruction, however, Gibraltar's chief minister stated that no other government was involved in the decision to detain the tanker. "There has been no political request at any time from any government that Gibraltar should act or not act on one basis or another," Fabian Picardo told parliament, revealing that vessel had been carrying 2.1 million barrels of light crude oil. British soldiers impound oil supertanker Grace 1, on suspicion it is carrying Iranian crude oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions Credit: UK Ministry of Defence It came as the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency urged Britain to stick with Europe in trying to save the nuclear deal with Iran, cautioning that Tehran was "very far off" a nuclear weapon. Mohamed ElBaradei called Tehran's further enriching of uranium - up to 4.5 per cent from the 3.7 per cap agreed in the 2015 nuclear deal - "child's play" and said it was a long way from the 90 per cent it would need for a bomb. "It's a cry for help," he told BBC Radio 4. "They are very far away from a nuclear weapon, they are not an imminent threat. "It's a symbolic reaction from a country that can't even import medicines because of sanctions imposed by the US." He described President Donald Trump's decision to back out of the nuclear accord when it was "working" as "lacking rationale, legal basis and any common sense". "They are applying a waterboarding method to Iran, drowning Iran and then looking and then asking them: let's have a dialogue without any preconditions," Mr ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who served as vice-president of Egypt after stepping down from his role at the IAEA, said. "No country is going to cooperate under these humiliating conditions," he added. "If they (the US) want to go to war they are doing a perfect job."
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| New Orleans already underwater as tropical storm approaches Posted: 11 Jul 2019 11:26 AM PDT  Tropical Storm Barry is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall, and could bring another 20 inches of rain to the beleaguered Gulf Coast.
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| Former Trump aide Sebastian Gorka screamed in a journalist's face in the Rose Garden as supporters cheered Posted: 11 Jul 2019 04:21 PM PDT  An onlooker told the reporter that Gorka could "kick your punk a--" as some looked on in shock and others cheered in support of the former Trump aide.
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| Palestinian child shot in head during West Bank clashes: ministry Posted: 12 Jul 2019 11:36 AM PDT  A Palestinian child was seriously wounded Friday during clashes between Israeli forces and protesters in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry and official media said. Official news agency Wafa named him as Abdelrahman Shteiwi, saying he was 10 years old and was wounded during clashes in Kafr Qaddum near Nablus in the northern West Bank.
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| EU to Cut the Flow of Funds to Turkey as Drilling Spat Heats Up Posted: 12 Jul 2019 08:31 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The European Union is poised to freeze most high-level contacts with Turkey and cut the flow of funds to the country, while holding back for now on sanctions that could target Turkish companies involved in offshore drilling in the eastern Mediterranean.EU diplomats have agreed on the wording of a draft decision due to be formally adopted by the bloc's foreign ministers on Monday, two officials familiar with the talks said. The draft calls for suspending negotiations on an aviation agreement with Ankara, halting scheduled ministerial meetings, reducing aid and inviting the European Investment Bank to review sovereign-backed lending to Turkey.The bloc will also reiterate that it's working on targeted sanctions in light of Turkey's continuing controversial drilling practices, according to the final draft of the communique seen by Bloomberg. The statement was agreed on Friday afternoon after several rounds of redrafting, and it will be rubber-stamped by EU ambassadors on Monday before ministers sign off later in the day.Turkey and Cyprus are at loggerheads over offshore gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean that are claimed by the Cypriots and disputed by Ankara. Turkey has sent exploration vessels into the area, a move Cyprus calls a violation of its sovereignty.Deep-Sea ExplorationEU leaders have squarely sided with Cyprus in the dispute, declaring last month that they're ready to consider sanctions if Turkey continues drilling. That could target companies, individuals, and Turkey's deep-sea hydrocarbon exploration and production sectors, though such measures weren't officially on the menu of options debated this week.Still, the escalation marks a new low in EU-Turkey relations, which have been deteriorating since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushed through constitutional reforms that Brussels claims weaken the country's democratic safeguards.The European Commission says Turkey has been drifting further away from the prospect of eventual EU membership, and some member states, such as Germany and France, have considered formally shelving long-stalled accession talks.The spat with Brussels adds to a climate of uncertainty weighing on Turkish assets, following the dismissal of the country's top central banker and the prospect of U.S. sanctions over Erdogan's decision to purchase Russian missiles. Washington has also called on Turkey to cease drilling off the coast of Cyprus.Maintaining CommunicationDespite renewed tensions in the Mediterranean, the EU is wary of an escalation that would risk a landmark 2016 migration agreement, under which Turkey stemmed the bulk of refugee flows to Europe in exchange for financial assistance. Even though options for targeted sanctions were mandated by the bloc's leaders last month, they are not being activated at this stage.An EU diplomat said the bloc in its Monday decision will seek a balance between sending a clear message to Ankara and agreeing on measures that won't harm the interests of EU nations or cut all ties with Turkey. The EU wants to keep some lines of communication open in areas such as migration and terrorism, the diplomat said, asking not to be named discussing sensitive issues.\--With assistance from Viktoria Dendrinou and Jonathan Stearns.To contact the reporter on this story: Nikos Chrysoloras in Brussels at nchrysoloras@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Jerrold Colten, Chris ReiterFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Radioactive uranium, whiskey and rattlesnake found in stolen car pulled over by police Posted: 12 Jul 2019 05:52 AM PDT  A pair of alleged car thieves were found with radioactive uranium, whiskey and a rattlesnake in their vehicle when they were pulled over in a routine traffic stop, police said.Driver Stephen Jennings and passenger Rachael Rivera were arrested after the unusual items were found in their car on Wednesday morning in Guthrie, Oklahoma.They were initially stopped after police noticed their vehicle's licence plate had expired, but officers soon noticed the timber rattlesnake in a box on the backseat.Mr Jennings, 40, then told police he had a gun in the vehicle and police discovered that the car was stolen."So now he's got a rattlesnake, a stolen vehicle, firearm, and somebody under arrest," Guthrie Police Sergeant Anthony Gibbs told local broadcaster KFOR-TV.After a further search of the car, police found an open bottle of Kentucky Deluxe whiskey and a container of "yellowish powder" that was labelled "Uranium."Mr Jennings told officers he was trying to create a "super snake" after the uranium was discovered, ABC reported."When that happens, of course, we call in a company that deals with that specifically, and it's taken safely into possession," Mr Gibbs said. "The uranium is the wild card in that situation."Bodycam footage from the arrest shows one officer spotting the snake in the backseat, before saying: "That sucker is huge."Timber rattlesnakes are highly venomous and their fangs are long enough to penetrate clothing and boots, according to the Ohio Public Library Information Network.> Uranium, a rattlesnake, and an open bottle of Kentucky Deluxe found after police pulled over a couple in a stolen vehicle in Guthrie. @kfor pic.twitter.com/6bh4MUuHcO> > — Cassandra Sweetman (@CassandraOnTV) > > July 11, 2019Mr Jennings was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, transporting an open container of liquor, operating a vehicle with a suspended license, and failure to carry a security verification form, ABC reported.Ms Rivera, 30, was charged with possession of a firearm after a former felony conviction.Mr Jennings had a valid lifetime hunting and fishing license so possession of the rattlesnake was legal.The pair were not charged in connection with the uranium as officers are still looking into a potential motive.
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| Wanted Louisiana woman comments on mugshot cops posted: 'That picture ugly' Posted: 12 Jul 2019 04:38 AM PDT  A wanted Louisiana woman seemed more concerned about how she looked in her mugshot than about the police.
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| Democrat Buttigieg unveils plan to fight racism in America Posted: 11 Jul 2019 07:08 AM PDT  Buttigieg, who is white and has seen issues of race flare up in South Bend after the fatal shooting of a black man by a white police officer last month, unveiled details of a wide-reaching plan focused on healthcare, education, criminal justice reform and home ownership. The 37-year-old mayor and combat veteran has been barely registering with black voters in opinion polls tracking the Democratic nominating contest, where 25 men and women are currently vying to become the candidate to take on Republican President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found no measurable support nationally for Buttigieg among African-Americans.
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| Minnesota residents react to city council ditching Pledge of Allegiance Posted: 10 Jul 2019 07:06 PM PDT  Protesters demand city council reverse pledge ban; reaction from Fox News contributor Lawrence Jones and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw.
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| Trump again claims that his immigration deal with Mexico included secret concessions Posted: 12 Jul 2019 07:32 AM PDT  Trump has sought to emphasize that claim since reports said that many aspects of the arrangement had been reached before the US threatened tariffs.
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| Dolphin impaled in the head found dead, wildlife officials seek clues Posted: 11 Jul 2019 06:22 PM PDT  Investigators are looking for who or what made a gash in the head of a bottlenose dolphin found dead in May.
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| Swedish Government Won’t Sign ‘Problematic’ UN Nuclear Treaty Posted: 12 Jul 2019 05:22 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Sweden has decided not to sign the UN treaty on nuclear arms, calling it problematic and unrealistic.The decision was announced by Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom at a press conference in Stockholm, who said the country will remain a "strong voice" against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.Reality is complicated and the treaty is problematic, but the decision was made as a militarily alliance-free nation, said Wallstrom. Sweden will become an observer nation to the treaty and won't close the door on signing it, she said.Backed by Sweden, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons passed in 2017 in the UN General Assembly by a vote of 122 in favor with just the Netherlands, a NATO member, voting against. The negotiations were boycotted by the world's nine nuclear-armed countries -- the U.S., China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the U.K. as well as most NATO members.Sweden, which has close ties with NATO, has been pressured not to sign the treaty by the U.S., newspaper Svenska Dagbladet has reported.To contact the reporter on this story: Jonas Bergman in Oslo at jbergman@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Tasneem Hanfi Brögger at tbrogger@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| US Coast Guard filmed raiding moving submarine filled with £185m of cocaine Posted: 11 Jul 2019 02:32 PM PDT  The US Coast Guard has released bodycam footage of a raid on a moving submarine-type vessel filled with £185m of cocaine.A crew member on board US Coastguard cutter Munro can be heard shouting "stop your boat now" in Spanish over the sound of the waves as he draws up beside the semi-submersible vessel, nicknamed a "narco-submarine".The coastguardsman can then be heard saying "that's going to be hard to get on", before he and another crew member, both dressed in green camouflage uniforms, leap on top of the self-propelled vessel in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.The first man bangs his fist on the hatch of the hull before a man opens it and raises his hands in the area as commands are screamed at him.Inside was 17,000lbs of cocaine worth about $232 million (£185m).The drugs bust was just one of 14 similar raids by the US Coast Guard off the coasts of Mexico, Central America and South America between May and July this year.In total, they have recovered more than 39,00lbs of cocaine and 933 lbs of cannabis worth an estimated $569m (£454m).Lieutenant commander Stephen Brickey, a spokesman for the US Coast Guard Pacific Area, said pursuing the drug-smuggling boats was like the "white whale".He told the Washington Post: "They're pretty rare. For us to get one, it's a significant event."Around 80 per cent of drugs that enter the US come from the Pacific corridor and authorities stop about 11 per cent of semi-submersible boats, he said.The Coast Guard increased US and allied presence in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Basin, which are known drug transit zones off the coast of Central and South America, as part of its Western Hemisphere Strategy.
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| View Photos of the 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S Posted: 10 Jul 2019 05:00 PM PDT |
| UPDATE 1-Saudi Arabia and Russia among 37 states backing China's Xinjiang policy Posted: 12 Jul 2019 09:12 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Saudi Arabia and Russia among 37 states backing China's Xinjiang policy]( "UPDATE 1-Saudi Arabia and Russia among 37 states backing China's Xinjiang policy") Saudi Arabia, Russia and 35 other states have written to the United Nations supporting China's policies in its western region of Xinjiang, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters on Friday, in contrast to strong Western criticism. China has been accused of detaining a million Muslims and persecuting ethnic Uighurs in Xinjiang, and 22 ambassadors signed a letter to the U.N. Human Rights Council this week criticising its policies.
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| For Palestinian family, tunnel under Israel barrier leads home Posted: 11 Jul 2019 07:20 PM PDT  On one side of the Israeli separation barrier sits the Hajajla family's home. The Palestinians' house is cut off from the rest of their village that lies on the other side, with only a tunnel connecting the two. For more than a week, 10-year-old Mohammed Hajajla had to walk six kilometres (nearly four miles) in the blazing sun as part of his route to school due to the closure, the family says.
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| Here are the most important things about wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged sex-trafficking operation Posted: 12 Jul 2019 07:04 AM PDT  The shocking sex-trafficking allegations against financier Jeffrey Epstein have captivated the country. The case is more bizarre than you thought.
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| Airline CEOs: Subsidized Gulf airlines are violating trade agreements, threatening US jobs Posted: 12 Jul 2019 02:00 AM PDT  The Trump administration knows a trade violation when it sees one. It should put other countries on notice by holding Qatar and the UAE accountable.
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| Cuba's Dependency on Venezuela Makes it Vulnerable to Economic Turmoil Posted: 11 Jul 2019 02:45 PM PDT ![Cuba's Dependency on Venezuela Makes it Vulnerable to Economic Turmoil]( "Cuba's Dependency on Venezuela Makes it Vulnerable to Economic Turmoil") The economic crisis in Venezuela has turned millions of its citizens into refugees who are fleeing the country's hyperinflation and shortages in food and medicine. A plunge in aid from Venezuela, along with a hardened trade embargo by the United States, has brought Cuba to its worst economic crisis since the post-Soviet depression in the 1990s, Carmelo Mesa-Lago, professor emeritus of economics and Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, and Pavel Vidal Alejandro, associate professor economics at the Pontifical Xavierian University in Cali, Colombia, write in their report.
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| The Latest: Police say remains are missing Kentucky woman Posted: 11 Jul 2019 01:43 PM PDT  Kentucky State Police say remains found buried near a house have been confirmed as those of a woman last seen leaving a bar with several men six months ago. Trooper Robert Purdy said the remains were found Wednesday in a residential neighborhood in Garrard County as officers searched for 23-year-old Savannah Spurlock. Purdy said at a news conference Thursday in Richmond that the property belongs to relatives of David Sparks of Lancaster, who was arrested Thursday.
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| New Orleans is already flooded — and the worst may be yet to come: Forecasters are predicting a hurricane Posted: 11 Jul 2019 06:33 AM PDT  New Orleans was already hit by a storm that left its streets swamped. Now, meteorologists say a hurricane could be on its way
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| 2020 Jeep Gladiator vs. 2019 Toyota 4Runner: Which Is the Better Bug-Out Vehicle? Posted: 12 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT  These two rugged utility vehicles can manage the daily slog yet excel when the pavement ends.
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| Pelosi reportedly scolds progressives in closed-door meeting, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fires back Posted: 11 Jul 2019 05:29 AM PDT  The House speaker reportedly tells Democrat lawmakers to come to her with complaints instead of tweeting about them.
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| Iran tried to seize British oil tanker: report Posted: 10 Jul 2019 05:26 PM PDT  Armed Iranian boats attempted to seize a British tanker in strategic Gulf waters on Wednesday but were driven off by a Royal Navy frigate, CNN reported. The Iranians ordered the British Heritage oil tanker, which was crossing into the Strait of Hormuz area, to change course and stop in Tehran's nearby waters, CNN said, citing two American officials. A US aircraft shot video of the incident, which ended when the HMS Montrose -- which was escorting the tanker -- trained its guns on the boats and successfully warned them to back off, the channel said.
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| UPDATE 1-China's June exports fall after U.S. tariff hike, imports shrink more than expected Posted: 12 Jul 2019 01:27 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-China's June exports fall after U.S. tariff hike, imports shrink more than expected]( "UPDATE 1-China's June exports fall after U.S. tariff hike, imports shrink more than expected") China's exports fell in June as the United States ramped up trade pressure, while imports shrank more than expected, pointing to further strains on the world's second-largest economy. China's manufacturers are struggling with sluggish demand at home and abroad, and a sharp U.S. tariff hike announced in May is threatening to crush already-thin profit margins, reinforcing views that Beijing needs to announce more stimulus measures soon. "The latest U.S. tariff hike probably contributed to this drop, alongside a broader slowdown in foreign demand," Capital Economics said in a note.
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| Inventive Butternut Squash Recipes, From Stuffing to Soup Posted: 11 Jul 2019 12:31 PM PDT |
| Colin Kaepernick's skin appears darkened in Republican campaign fundraiser ad Posted: 11 Jul 2019 06:45 AM PDT  A fundraising email sent by the National Republican Congressional Committee included a picture of Colin Kaepernick that appeared noticeably altered to make his skin darker, an attack ad tactic that is considered by many as racist.
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| Fewer F-35s? Air Force Looks to Buy 80 F-15Xs Instead Posted: 11 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT  Nevertheless as Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with the Teal Group of Fairfax, Virginia, said in an email to Bloomberg "The U.S. Air Force fighter budget is unlikely to grow by much, so the fear is that replacing the F-15 fleet, rather than upgrading the old F-15s, would take cash away from F-35 procurement."As we have reported, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) is reportedly requesting an upgraded version of the Boeing F-15 Eagle fighter jet in its 2020 budget, despite pushback from lawmakers and earlier skepticism from top USAF officials.The first batch of eight F-15X Advanced Eagle aircraft (fewer than the expected 12 fighters) could be proposed in the fiscal 2020 budget that will be unveiled next month.However the USAF is planning to acquire as many as 80 F-15Xs over a period of five years.According to Bloomberg, the Air Force will propose buying the F-15X without reducing the fleet of 1,763 F-35s that it has long planned, the people said. The service would purchase 48 of the 84 F-35s that were called for last year in the Pentagon's plan for 2020, with the remainder going to the Navy and Marines, according to program documents.
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| AP: Public unions see only modest decline after court ruling Posted: 12 Jul 2019 07:38 AM PDT  Anticipating that the U.S. Supreme Court might end mandatory union fees for public employees, some labor-friendly states enacted laws last year to protect membership rolls while unions redoubled their recruitment efforts. Union membership among public employees has fallen only slightly in the nation's most unionized states since the Supreme Court ruled a year ago that government workers no longer could be required to pay union fees, according to an analysis of federal data conducted for The Associated Press. The decline in union membership rates has been larger in states that had previously allowed mandatory fees to be deducted from the paychecks of public school teachers, police and other government workers than in states that had not.
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| Tennessee governor signs 'Forrest Day' proclamation, honoring the Confederate general Posted: 12 Jul 2019 04:06 PM PDT  Tennessee law instructs the governor to do so, though Lee said he is not currently considering changing the law.
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| 12,000 Years Ago, a Boy Had His Skull Squashed into a Cone Shape. It's the Oldest Evidence of Such Head-Shaping. Posted: 10 Jul 2019 05:40 PM PDT  Ancient people in China practiced human head-shaping about 12,000 years ago -- meaning they bound some children's maturing skulls, encouraging the heads to grow into elongated ovals -- making them the oldest group on record to purposefully squash their skulls, a new study finds.While excavating a Neolithic site (the last period of the Stone Age) at Houtaomuga, Jilin province, in northeast China, the archaeologists found 11 elongated skulls -- belonging to both males and females and ranging from toddlers to adults -- that showed signs of deliberate skull reshaping, also known as intentional cranial modification (ICM)."This is the earliest discovery of signs of intentional head modification in Eurasia continent, perhaps in the world," said study co-researcher Qian Wang, an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry. "If this practice began in East Asia, it likely spread westward to the Middle East, Russia and Europe through the steppes as well as eastward across the Bering land bridge to the Americas." [In Images: An Ancient Long-headed Woman Reconstructed]The Houtaomuga site is a treasure trove, holding burials and artifacts from 12,000 to 5,000 years ago. During an excavation there between 2011 and 2015, archaeologists found the remains of 25 individuals, 19 of which were preserved enough to be studied for ICM. After putting these skulls in a CT scanner, which produced 3D digital images of each specimen, the researchers confirmed that 11 had indisputable signs of skull shaping, such as flattening and elongation of the frontal bone, or forehead.The oldest ICM skull belonged to an adult male, who lived between 12,027 and 11,747 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating.The M72 skull is between 6,300 and 5,500 years old. Qian Wang Archaeologists have found reshaped human skulls all around the world, from every inhabited continent. But this particular finding, if confirmed, "will [be] the earliest evidence of the intentional head modification, which lasted for 7,000 years at the same site after its first emergence," Wang told Live Science.The 11 ICM individuals died between ages 3 and 40, indicating that skull shaping began at a young age, when human skulls are still malleable, Wang said.It's unclear why this particular culture practiced skull modification, but it's possible that fertility, social status and beauty could be factors, Wang said. The people with ICM buried at Houtaomuga were likely from a privileged class, as these individuals tended to have grave goods and funeral decorations."Apparently, these youth were treated with a decent funeral, which might suggest a high socioeconomic class," Wang said.An excavation at the site during 2010. Lixin WangEven though the Houtaomuga man is the oldest known case of ICM in history, it's a mystery whether other known instances of ICM spread from this group, or whether they rose independently of one another, Wang said."It is still too early to claim intentional cranial modification first emerged in East Asia and spread elsewhere; it may have originated independently in different places," Wang said. More ancient DNA research and skull examinations throughout the world may shed light on this practice's spread, he said.The study was published online June 25 in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. * 25 Grisly Archaeological Discoveries * The 25 Most Mysterious Archaeological Finds on Earth * Back to the Stone Age: 17 Key Milestones in Paleolithic LifeOriginally published on Live Science.
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| Hezbollah warns Iran able to bombard Israel if war started Posted: 12 Jul 2019 03:41 PM PDT  The head of Lebanon's Tehran-backed Hezbollah said Friday that US ally Israel would not be "neutral" if a war broke out between the United States and Iran. "When the Americans understand that this war could wipe out Israel, they will reconsider," Nasrallah said.
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| INTERVIEW-Serbia wants billions in foreign loans to invest in infrastructure - minister Posted: 12 Jul 2019 06:53 AM PDT ![INTERVIEW-Serbia wants billions in foreign loans to invest in infrastructure - minister]( "INTERVIEW-Serbia wants billions in foreign loans to invest in infrastructure - minister") Serbia plans to borrow billions of euros from China and other foreign countries in the coming years to fund investment in regional projects, its infrastructure minister Zorana Mihajlovic said on Friday. China views Serbia and other Balkan countries as part of its ambitious One Belt, One Road initiative to open trade links for Chinese companies. Serbia wants to join the European Union and to do so it must strengthen economic links with its neighbours including former Yugoslav republics, most of them foes from the bloody wars of the 1990s.
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| 20+ Spiked Apple Cider Cocktails That Will Warm Up Those Chilly Fall Nights Posted: 10 Jul 2019 04:59 PM PDT |
| Trump Lost on the Census, but the Scandal Is Just Getting Started Posted: 11 Jul 2019 03:48 PM PDT  Alex Wong/GettyPresident Donald Trump may think the census citizenship question scandal is over now that he's declared victory and marched away in defeat.But he's wrong. The citizenship question may be finished, but the scandal is just getting started.Forget Trump's order to compile data from "vast federal databases" on citizenship. Not only is that insignificant—it's what the Census Bureau itself had recommended instead of messing with the census form itself by asking about citizenship. Trump Declares From the Rose Garden He's Not Owned on the CensusWhat's actually meaningful are the two lawsuits over the citizenship question and the congressional investigations over what Trump officials knew and when. And all of those are still ongoing.Why? Because, at this point, those investigations are about the lies the administration told, not the underlying question itself: the cover-up, not the crime, so to speak. And those are all live legal questions.First, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that the House of Representatives will vote "soon" on a contempt of Congress resolution against Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Attorney General William Barr. That vote stems from the two officials' refusal to hand over reams of subpoenaed documents related to the census question. And whether those two officials acted in contempt of Congress has nothing to do with whether the citizenship question is alive or dead. If they ignored the subpoenas, that's contempt, regardless of the context.Barr and Ross stood alongside Trump at his Thursday press conference, but they may soon have to stand in a dock in court, defending themselves against contempt charges.Second, the primary lawsuit over the census is still ongoing in a federal court in New York, after the Supreme Court authorized the court to continue proceedings regarding the "incongruent" explanations for the citizenship question provided by the Trump administration. While some parts of those proceedings may now be moot, several parts are not. Plaintiffs—including the ACLU, the state of New York, and the New York Immigration Coalition—have asked the court to levy sanctions against government officials who, they say, lied during court proceedings. To adjudicate that claim, plaintiffs have asked for additional "discovery," the legal term for obtaining documents, deposing witnesses, and otherwise conducting a detailed, exhaustive investigation.In fact, these two investigations may be just getting started.Just in the New York case, plaintiffs are eager to explore the newly unearthed files of deceased Republican operative Thomas Hofeller, who said that gaining citizenship data through the census might enable states to redraw congressional districts based on eligible voters, rather than total population. That would help Republicans and "non-Hispanic whites," Hofeller wrote.Remarkably, Trump and Barr even alluded to Hofeller's rationale for harvesting citizenship data in their remarks in the Rose Garden: Trump said the data could be used to draw congressional districts, and Barr said that states "may want to draw districts based on eligible voters, not the total number of persons."Those are shocking statements, and completely different from what the Trump administration told the public, courts, and Congress about why the citizenship data was needed. But there's probably a lot more than just that one remark in the hard drives Hofeller left behind, and plaintiffs in the New York case are determined to find out.Then there are the congressional investigations.In addition to the ignored subpoenas, it's clear—as I noted as early as last October—that Ross lied under oath to Congress. Ross said that he only added the citizenship question in December 2017, after a request from the Department of Justice and a public comment period. But a letter Ross wrote seven months earlier, in May 2017, said that he had already requested the question be added. And there are numerous other examples. Ross lied under oath about his meetings with White House advisers Steve Bannon and Kris Kobach, both ardent nationalists. DOJ officials lied about the influence of Hofeller, covered up their conversations about changing census confidentiality rules to share data with ICE, and lied about the chain of events leading up to the proposed change.In his press conference, Trump tried to make the citizenship question about loyalty and patriotism. Democrats, he said, "want to erase the existence of a very important word: citizen." They want to "conceal the number of illegal aliens in our midst. Probably because that number is far greater, far higher than anyone would have believed."But the Democrats aren't the ones who hatched a secret plan to weaponize the census against immigrant communities and then lied about it over and over again. Trump officials are. And they are going to have to answer for it.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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| DeVos sued over student loan forgiveness program that denies 99 percent of applicants Posted: 11 Jul 2019 08:23 AM PDT ![DeVos sued over student loan forgiveness program that denies 99 percent of applicants]( "DeVos sued over student loan forgiveness program that denies 99 percent of applicants") The AFT's lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of arbitrarily and capriciously rejecting loan forgiveness applications.
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| The Latest: Mississippi governor signs emergency declaration Posted: 12 Jul 2019 04:49 PM PDT  Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has signed an emergency declaration ahead of Tropical Storm Barry, which is expected to bring heavy rainfall to the state. Bryant signed the declaration Friday afternoon as Barry was pushing northward into Louisiana. Parts of south and central Mississippi were expected to be soaked, and flood warnings are posted.
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| Florida deputy arrested for planting meth, other drugs in nearly 120 cases: what we know Posted: 11 Jul 2019 11:47 AM PDT  Former Jackson County, Florida deputy Zach Wester was arrested for allegedly planting drugs on unsuspecting motorists before arresting them.
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| Remains of Napoleon's One-Legged General Found Under Russian Dance Floor Posted: 12 Jul 2019 05:52 AM PDT  An excavation in a peculiar place -- under the foundation of a dance floor in Russia -- has uncovered the remains of one of Napoleon Bonaparte's favorite generals: a one-legged man who was killed by a cannonball more than 200 years ago, news sources report.Gen. Charles Etienne Gudin fought with Napoleon during the failed French invasion of Russia in 1812. On July 6 of this year, an international team of French and Russian archaeologists discovered what are believed to be his remains, in Smolensk, a city about 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Moscow, according to Reuters.After his death at age 44 on Aug. 22, 1812, Gudin got star treatment. His name was inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, his bust was placed at the Palace of Versailles, a Paris street was named after him and, as a sentimental gesture, his heart was removed from his body and placed in a chapel at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. [Photos: Archaeologists Excavate Battlefield from Napoleonic Wars]The researchers said that several clues suggested that the skeleton they found under the dance floor belongs to Gudin, who had known Napoleon since childhood. Both men attended the Military School in Brienne, in France's Champagne region. Upon hearing of Gudin's death, Napoleon reportedly cried and ordered that his friend's name be engraved on the Arc de Triomphe, according to Euronews.A portrait of Charles Etienne Gudin, who fought in Napoleon's Grande Armée. Photo12/UIG/Getty ImagesRecords from the 1812 Russian invasion note that Gudin's battlefield injuries required him to have his left leg amputated below the knee, Euronews reported. Indeed, the skeleton in the coffin was missing its left leg and showed evidence of injury to the right leg -- details that were also mentioned in those records, the archaeologists said, according to Reuters.Moreover, it was "with a high degree of probability" that the remains the team uncovered belonged to an aristocrat and a military veteran of both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, they said, according to Reuters."It's a historic moment not only for me, but for I think for our two countries," French historian and archaeologist Pierre Malinovsky, who helped find the remains, told the Smolensk newspaper Rabochiy Put (Worker's Journey), according to Reuters. "Napoleon was one of the last people to see him alive, which is very important, and he's the first general from the Napoleonic period that we have found."The general has known living descendants, so researchers plan to test the skeleton for DNA. That way, they'll be able to say for sure whether the remains are those of Gudin.Gudin, however, is hardly the only French fatality recently found in Russia. Earlier this year, scientists did a virtual facial reconstruction of a man in his 20s who was slashed in the face with a saber and died during the invasion of Russia. * 19 of the World's Oldest Photos Reveal a Rare Side of History * Photos: Mass Graves Hold 17th-Century Prisoners of War * Photos: A 400-Year-Old War Grave RevealedOriginally published on Live Science.
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| Fossil of 99 million-year-old bird with giant toe found in Burma Posted: 11 Jul 2019 10:24 PM PDT  The fossilised remains of an ancient 99-million-year-old bird with a freakishly long toe have been discovered in a chunk of amber from Burma. Researchers found the third digit of the sparrow-like creature's foot was 9.8 millimetres long, about 41 percent longer than its second-longest digit, and 20 percent longer than its entire lower leg, reported Science News. Palaeontologists are unsure what purpose the extra-long toe served, but it may have helped the cretaceous period bird find food in difficult-to-reach places such as holes in trees. The bird may have been a tree-dweller, also using its extended claw to grasp on to branches. The formation of its foot was so unique that a team examining the fossil, led by paleontologist Lida Xing from the China University of Biosciences in Beijing, decided to declare a new species, calling the bird Elektorornis (amber bird) chenguangi. Their findings were published in Current Biology on Thursday. The New York Times reported that the remains had lain undisturbed in hardened tree resin until amber miners found the fossil in Burma's Hukawng Valley in 2014. It was first presented to Chen Guang, a curator at China's Hupoge Amber Museum, and initially suspected to be an extinct lizard. However, Mr Chen decided to consult Ms Xing who specialises in Cretaceous birds and the tiny creature was discovered to be related to an extinct group of toothed, clawed birds called Enantiornithes, which was bountiful during the Cretaceous period of 145.5 million to 66 million years ago. The ancient bird was found fossilized in amber Credit: Lida Xing/PA "I was very surprised at the time," Dr Xing told the Times, recalling that the fossil was "undoubtedly the claw of a bird." Dr Xing's team compared the toe size ratios with other known birds starting from the Mesozoic era, which began 252 million years ago, and found that no other species had such a dramatic difference in toe sizes. The Elektorornis chenguangi died out with other species in its family along with non-avian dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period.
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| Trump’s border patrol chief 'posted in secret Facebook group' featuring violent anti-migrant content Posted: 12 Jul 2019 08:48 AM PDT  Carla Provost, chief of the US Border Patrol, participated in a secret Facebook group used by members of her agency to share racist and violent commentary about migrants, a report has alleged.Ms Provost addressed the group and its controversial content, which was posted by current and former Border Patrol officers, when it was uncovered earlier this month.In a public statement at the time, she said: "These posts are completely inappropriate and contrary to the honour and integrity I see — and expect — from out agents day in and day out."Any employees found to have violated our standards of conduct will be held accountable."However, Ms Provost was apparently aware of the secret group long before her public statements, as she had responded to a post in it just three months after her appointment, The Intercept reported. In her post, Ms Provost appeared to be "clapping back" at a member of the group who had posted about her rapid elevation within the agency, according to the outlet.It suggested she may have been aware of the group and failed to act before the issue came to light.Democrats have meanwhile demanded the Inspector General's office at the US Department of Homeland Security look into whether she or Kevin McAleenan, acting secretary of the agency, knew about officials sharing "violent, racist, misogynistic comments and pictures" in the group that was previously known as "I'm 10-15"."We need to know who in CBP leadership knew about these deplorable groups, when did they find out, and what action they took, if anything," Bennie Thompson, a Democratic congresswoman and chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, told The Intercept. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement its Office of Professional Responsibility was "investigating the material provided to CBP" and it "does not tolerate misconduct on or off duty and will hold those who violate our code of conduct accountable.""Several CBP employees have received cease and desist letters and several of those have been placed on administrative duties pending the results of the investigation," the statement continued."These posts do not reflect the core values of the Agency and do not reflect the vast majority of employees who conduct themselves professionally and honorably every day, on and off duty."The names of three current chief patrol agents, nine current or former patrol agents in charge and multiple border patrol union officials still featured in the group, The Intercept said in its report on Friday.
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| Father chases down thief who stole car with kids inside, beats him to death Posted: 12 Jul 2019 02:03 PM PDT  A father chased down and, with the help of bystanders, beat to death a thief who stole a car with his children inside, Philadelphia police said.
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| UPDATE 1-Ukrainian fighter found guilty over killing of Italian photographer Posted: 12 Jul 2019 12:57 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Ukrainian fighter found guilty over killing of Italian photographer]( "UPDATE 1-Ukrainian fighter found guilty over killing of Italian photographer") An Italian court sentenced a Ukrainian man to 24 years in jail on Friday over his role in the 2014 killing of an Italian photographer covering fighting between pro-Russian forces and Ukrainian troops. Journalist Andrea Rocchelli and his Russian colleague Andrey Mironov were killed after they were hit by mortar fire near the town of Slaviansk in eastern Ukraine five years ago. Italian prosecutors in the northern city of Pavia said Vitaliy Markiv, a volunteer fighter with the Ukrainian forces at the time, had taken part in the deadly attack and accused him of being an accessory to murder.
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| China fails to buy agricultural goods as promised: Trump Posted: 11 Jul 2019 07:32 AM PDT  US President Donald Trump on Thursday accused China of backsliding on promises to increase purchases of American farm exports. The president's latest salvo on Twitter comes the same week that US and Chinese trade officials had their first contact in months in an effort to revive negotiations that nearly collapsed in May. Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met last month on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan, agreeing to cease further hostilities while the talks resumed.
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