| Tropical storm Dorian gathers strength in Caribbean as Puerto Rico braces for first hurricane Posted: 27 Aug 2019 06:00 AM PDT  A tropical storm is gathering strength and is expected to become a hurricane by the time it hits Puerto Rico.A state of emergency has been declared in the US territory as residents prepare for Dorian to bring the first hurricane of the season.
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| Brazil's president said he would accept $20 million from the G7 to tackle the Amazon fires, but only if Emmanuel Macron apologizes for calling him 'extraordinarily rude' Posted: 28 Aug 2019 02:53 AM PDT  French President Macron called Jair Bolsonaro rude after he appeared to endorse a Facebook post mocking the age gap between Macron and his wife.
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| Lebanese army fires at Israeli drone Posted: 28 Aug 2019 11:15 AM PDT  The Lebanese army opened fire at an Israeli drone in south Lebanon on Wednesday, a military source and state media said, in a rare incident as tensions mount between the neighbours. "A Lebanese army position in the district of Al-Adeesa in south Lebanon saw a drone and they fired at it, and it returned to the occupied lands," a military source told AFP, referring to Israel. "The fire comes in the context of previous instructions that any Israeli movement inside Lebanese territory should immediately be fired at," the source said.
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| Couple wanted for murder in Arizona escape from guards during transport Posted: 27 Aug 2019 04:15 PM PDT  Blane Barksdale, 56, and Susan Barksdale, 59, broke free on Monday evening from two guards in Blanding, a rural town in southeast Utah, the Tucson Police Department said in a statement. The couple later obtained a GMC Sierra pickup truck and drove off, Tucson police spokesman Pete Dugan said. "Investigators have information that they are possibly traveling through Arizona," Tucson police said in a statement.
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| Andrew Yang Wants Thorium Nuclear Power. Here's What That Means. Posted: 27 Aug 2019 06:00 AM PDT  Why the Democratic candidate is backing an experimental technology to fight climate change.
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| Republicans have themselves to thank for socialism Posted: 28 Aug 2019 06:00 AM PDT  Socialism has been an incredibly divisive issue in American politics for decades. But its recent uptick in popularity has Republicans wondering what's wrong with the left. Little do they know they have their own actions and policies to thank for democratic socialism's rise in America. In this opinion piece, Business Insider's Manny Ocbazghi analyzes the role Republicans played in Obamacare's rollout, the Green New Deal, and more.
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| See Photos of the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT53 4-Door Posted: 28 Aug 2019 10:59 AM PDT |
| Students rally in Pakistan-held Kashmir against India Posted: 27 Aug 2019 10:44 AM PDT  More than a thousand students rallied Tuesday in the capital of Pakistan-held Kashmir to denounce India's downgrading of the special status of the portion of the disputed region it controls. The demonstrators chanted "We want freedom" and denounced human rights violations in Indian-administrated Kashmir. Kashmir, which is split between two countries and claimed by both, has been the cause of two of wars between Pakistan and India since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.
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| Rare 3.8-million-year-old skull reveals the face of Lucy’s ancestor, gives insight into early man Posted: 28 Aug 2019 01:07 PM PDT ![Rare 3.8-million-year-old skull reveals the face of Lucy's ancestor, gives insight into early man]( "Rare 3.8-million-year-old skull reveals the face of Lucy's ancestor, gives insight into early man") A 3.8 million year old skull from Africa is giving researchers a peek into humanity's evolutionary history, a new study suggests.
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| Man crosses 3,000 miles of Pacific Ocean by paddleboard and sees plastic pollution 'every day' Posted: 27 Aug 2019 08:16 AM PDT  An adventurer has completed a 2,951-mile solo paddleboard voyage from San Francisco to Hawaii, a feat of endurance which lasted 76 days.Antonio de la Rosa travelled alone across the Pacific Ocean without supporting boats. He braved choppy waters and glimpsed whales – as well as a constant stream of plastic pollution.
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| Trump suggested using bombs to fight hurricanes. These 4 graphics show why that would never work. Posted: 27 Aug 2019 12:19 PM PDT  President Trump has suggested hitting hurricanes with nuclear weapons. But no nuclear bomb is powerful enough to continuously disrupt a hurricane.
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| Gaza in state of alert after blasts kill two policemen: officials Posted: 27 Aug 2019 05:14 PM PDT  The Gaza Strip was in a "state of alert" Wednesday after explosions killed two policemen in the Palestinian enclave, authorities said. The officers died in "two explosions targeting police checkpoints" late Tuesday night, the interior ministry in the Hamas-controlled coastal territory said in a statement. The Gaza Strip, home to two million Palestinians, was in a "state of alert," the ministry said and AFP journalists reported an increased Hamas presence on the main roads of the enclave.
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| UPDATE 1-Russia, Turkey discuss supply of Russian warplanes - RIA Posted: 28 Aug 2019 01:43 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Russia, Turkey discuss supply of Russian warplanes - RIA]( "UPDATE 1-Russia, Turkey discuss supply of Russian warplanes - RIA") Russia and Turkey are discussing the possibility of deliveries of the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter jet and Su-35 aircraft to Turkey, the RIA news agency cited a Russian official as saying on Wednesday. Russia began delivering S-400 missile systems to Turkey this year, in a step that strained ties with Ankara's NATO allies and prompted Washington to begin removing Turkey from its programme for manufacturing F-35 jets, which Turkey also planned to buy. The head of Russia's Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation said he planned to discuss the S-400 missile defence system with a Turkish colleague later on Wednesday as well as "possibly deliveries of the Su-35 or Su-57".
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| No More Democrats Qualify for Presidential Debate in New Poll Posted: 28 Aug 2019 06:22 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The next debates for the Democratic presidential nomination may be limited to 10 candidates, with half the pack apparently failing to achieve the qualifying milestones, according to the latest sanctioned polls released Wednesday.A Quinnipiac University survey found that former Vice President Joe Biden leads the pack with 32% support among Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters. Biden is followed by Senators Elizabeth Warren at 19%, Bernie Sanders at 15%, and Kamala Harris at 7%. South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg got 5% and entrepreneur Andrew Yang received 3%, but no other candidate exceeded 1%.A USA Today/Suffolk University Poll released Wednesday found similar results, with Biden retaining a wide lead at 32%, Warren at 14% and Sanders with 12%. Only three other candidates scored above 2% in this poll: Buttigieg, Harris and Yang. Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker were both at 2%.The polls, which on the list sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, appear unlikely to help any other candidates qualify for the next round of debates in Houston in September.It represented one of the final chances for candidates to make the cut by Wednesday's deadline: qualifying candidates at least need 130,000 donors and to register at least 2% support in four qualifying polls.About half of the current field has yet to qualify, even accounting for the three recent dropouts: John Hickenlooper, Jay Inslee and Seth Moulton. If one more candidate hits the threshold, the event will be broadened.Billionaire investor Tom Steyer looks to have the best chance to get in but failed to top 1% in this Quinnipiac poll.The Quinnipiac University poll, conducted from Aug. 21-26, surveyed 1,422 self-identified registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. The survey of 648 Democratic voters and independent voters who lean Democratic has a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.The USA Today/Suffolk poll of 424 registered voters who plan to vote in Democratic caucus or primary was taken Aug. 20-25 and has a margin of error of 4.76 percentage points.(Updates with USA Today/Suffolk poll in third paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Elizabeth Wasserman in Washington at ewasserman2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Justin BlumFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| A nurse was sentenced to 12 years in prison for paying $12,000 in bitcoin to have her former lover's wife killed through a website that ended up being a scam Posted: 27 Aug 2019 12:51 PM PDT  Cops were tipped off to Tina Jones' plan thanks to journalists reporting on a story about the dark web for CBS News' "48 Hours."
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| Unions target Cathay Pacific airline in Hong Kong protest Posted: 28 Aug 2019 06:39 AM PDT  Trade union members in Hong Kong rallied Wednesday against the city's flagship Cathay Pacific Airways, which has fired several employees in the past two weeks after coming under pressure from China over their links to pro-democracy protests. Cathay's situation encapsulates the very fears that sparked the protests — that China is encroaching on the freedoms and separate legal system that Hong Kong maintains under a "one country, two systems" framework.
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| America's first mass shooting: 70 years ago, a WWII veteran killed 13 of his neighbors Posted: 28 Aug 2019 05:29 AM PDT  Howard Unruh displayed the same temperament reflected in many of his modern counterparts — rigid, angry and blaming.
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| Climbers in Dolomites injured after picking up First World War explosives Posted: 27 Aug 2019 09:11 AM PDT  Two climbers have been injured after picking up First World War munitions in an abandoned military position high up in the Dolomites of northern Italy. The Spanish climbers, both 21, were at an altitude of around 9,000ft when they noticed an opening in the rock and ice. Inside the cave-like emplacement, they found abandoned ammunition and ordnance, left over from fighting between Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces more than a century ago. One of the climbers picked up some of the munitions and the object exploded in his hands, leaving both him and his companion injured by shrapnel. Climate change is melting glaciers on the highest peaks of the Dolomites and revealing the remains of First World War battlefields, including abandoned military equipment and the skeletons of soldiers. Austro-Hungarian soldiers in the Dolomites in 1916 Credit: Getty Hikers in the area heard the explosion and went to the climbers' aid, calling the rescue services. Alpine rescue volunteers reached them and treated their wounds before carrying them down the mountain on stretchers. They were then taken to a hospital in the town of Trento. Explosives experts from the paramilitary Carabinieri police cordoned off the area and will remove the remaining ammunition. More than 750,000 Italian soldiers were killed on the Italian front, many of them amid the crags and ridges of the Dolomites. The Italians and Austro-Hungarians engaged in fierce fighting in the mountains, with each side trying to gain advantage by constructing artillery posts, trenches and bunkers higher than the other. To try to maintain discipline, Italian generals adopted the practice of decimation – the random execution of soldiers from units that retreated or protested the senseless slaughter. The skeletons of two soldiers, believed to have been members of an Austro-Hungarian artillery unit, emerged from the ice in 2012. They were found on the Presena glacier, not far from where the climbers stumbled on the ammunition. The remains of an Italian soldier were found in 2017, also at around 9,000ft.
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| A flight from the UK to Portugal was forced to make an emergency landing after the pilot reportedly fainted Posted: 27 Aug 2019 03:33 AM PDT  A Jet2 plane from Manchester, England, to Madeira, Portugal, diverted to Porto. The First Officer landed the plane, and an off-duty pilot helped.
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| Fox News Stars Push Back as Trump Demands Loyalty: We Don’t ‘Work for You’ Posted: 28 Aug 2019 10:54 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/GettySeveral Fox News personalities pushed back Wednesday against President Donald Trump after he escalated his public attacks on the right-leaning outlet for its occasional anti-Trump voices.In the middle of a typically chaotic tweetstorm spurred on by his morning TV viewing habits, the president took aim at Fox News anchor Sandra Smith for having the audacity to bring on the Democratic National Committee's communications director Xochitl Hinojosa to discuss the upcoming Democratic primary debate."Just watched @FoxNews heavily promoting the Democrats through their DNC Communications Director, spewing out whatever she wanted with zero pushback by anchor, @SandraSmithFox," Trump tweeted on Wednesday. "Terrible considering that Fox couldn't even land a debate, the Dems give them NOTHING! @CNN & @MSNBC are all in for the Open Border Socialists (or beyond)."Besides blasting the America's Newsroom co-anchor, Trump went after a few other Fox News stars who he has recently singled out for not carrying his water on-air. "Fox hires 'give Hillary the questions' @donnabrazile, Juan Williams and low ratings Shep Smith. HOPELESS & CLUELESS! They should go all the way LEFT and I will still find a way to Win - That's what I do, Win," he wrote. "Too Bad!"The president concluded his online tantrum by complaining that Fox News was "letting millions of GREAT people down" and that he needs to "start looking for a new News Outlet" since the one-time "Fair & Balanced" channel "isn't working for us anymore!"Almost immediately after the president's tweets, Fox News senior political analyst and former news anchor Brit Hume sounded off: "Fox News isn't supposed to work for you," he wrote.Hume wasn't the only conservative Fox star to fire back at the president. Fox News contributor and radio host Guy Benson essentially repeated Hume's remarks: "We don't work for you," he stated.Furthermore, Benson also said that Trump was "working the refs," agreeing with Axios' Sara Fischer that Trump was playing to a "fringe culture" of rabid supporters whom the president hopes would help push Fox News to intensify its already largely pro-Trump coverage.MediaBuzz host Howard Kurtz, a former Daily Beast columnist, also took a mild swing at the president's criticism, writing, "our job is to cover both sides."In recent months, Trump has made it a habit to regularly scorn Fox and make it appear that the network is not sufficiently loyal to him, his administration, or his followers. Most of these attacks have centered on the so-called "straight news" division or Fox's liberal commentators. Brazile, for example, has been a favorite target lately.While Trump's recent attacks haven't been addressed publicly by network brass, many of the news-centric figures have publicly rebuked the president. For instance, earlier this month when Trump trashed Fox's polling, telling reporters that "Fox has changed" and he's "not happy with it," Special Report anchor Bret Baier said on-air, "Fox has not changed. We have a news side and an opinion side. Opinion folks express their opinions. We do polls."This all appears to be part of the president's ongoing insecurities about the network's loyalty and subservience to him. This past spring, following Fox News' highly rated town hall with Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, The Daily Beast reported that Trump began telling aides to "keep an eye" on Fox, expressing concerns that the network would provide even the remotest positive coverage of Democrats.And then last month, The Daily Beast reported, Trump began grilling his closest loyalists and confidants at the network—including primetime star Sean Hannity—asking them all the same question: "What the hell is going on at Fox?"In the end, while Trump sweats Fox's "straight news" programming and publicly courts other alternatives, those inside Fox News actually feel the president's repeated attacks are extremely helpful, as it allows them to rebut widespread criticism that the network often acts as "state media," especially in light of a constantly revolving door between Fox and the White House."Everybody wins," one Fox opinion-side staffer told The Daily Beast.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| U.S. yield inversion deepens, stokes recession fears Posted: 27 Aug 2019 12:24 PM PDT  The U.S. yield curve inversion deepened on Tuesday to levels not seen since 2007, rekindling fears of a looming recession that spurred a sell-off on Wall Street and stoked even more safe-haven demand for government bonds. The intense interest in Treasuries supported demand for $40 billion worth of two-year government debt for sale, part of this week's $113 billion fixed-rate Treasury supply. The yield curve often inverts prior to a U.S. recession.
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| Attorney who 'refuses to prosecute' domestic violence cases between same-sex partners faces suspension Posted: 28 Aug 2019 08:06 AM PDT  A district attorney in Tennessee could face suspension after saying he does not prosecute domestic violence cases between same-sex partners.Coffee County district attorney Craig Northcott came under fire in June after a video emerged of him saying he would not prosecute anyone with domestic violence charges if they are in a gay marriage because he does not accept their legal status.
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| Mississippi getting set for hard-fought governor's race Posted: 28 Aug 2019 02:42 PM PDT  The Mississippi governor's race this year could be the toughest in nearly a generation, between two politicians who have already won statewide races and are known for digging in against opponents: two-term Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and four-term Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood. Reeves secured the Republican nomination Tuesday by defeating Bill Waller Jr., a retired Mississippi Supreme Court justice and son of a former governor. Reeves and Waller advanced to a runoff from a three-person primary Aug. 6, the same day Hood defeated seven low-budget candidates for the Democratic nod.
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| Florida city, under fire for imposing massive fines on homeowners, drops lawsuit against woman Posted: 27 Aug 2019 01:25 PM PDT  The city of Dunedin, Florida, has been under scrutiny for massive fines lodged against homeowners over code enforcement violations.
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| Alarmed tourists watch huge volcanic eruption on Italy's Stromboli island Posted: 28 Aug 2019 08:23 AM PDT  A powerful volcanic eruption on the Italian island of Stromboli sent a huge cloud of ash into the sky, nearly two months after a similar eruption killed a hiker. Frightened tourists watched the eruption as lava cascaded down the sides of the volcano, one of the most active in the world. The eruption was preceded by a deafening boom, witnesses said. Known as a "paroxysmal eruption", it sent up a tall column of smoke and ash which could be seen from many miles away. Water-bombing aircraft were deployed to the island, scooping up sea water to put out small wild fires on the flanks of the mountain. The eruption on Stromboli sent a huge plume of ash and smoke into the sky Credit: Twitter There were no reports of injuries. Video footage showed one boat, with Italians on board, fleeing the island in panic as gigantic clouds of black ash rolled across the sea. On another boat, a British family watched in awe as the eruption took place. "Wow, the whole mountain is shaking," an Englishman says on a video clip of the eruption. "Oh my goodness, that is really bad guys." Nicole Bremner, an Australian who lives in London, was on a boat off Stromboli when the volcano erupted. "We were just at Stromboli volcano watching the small eruptions. We left and then this giant eruption happened!" she wrote. The property developer said the smoke and ash had left "a metallic taste in our mouths… waiting to see if we need to help with evacuations." Water-bombing aircraft were deployed to put out fires on the flanks of the volcano Credit: Italian fire service/AP Some tourists watched the eruption from the safety of the nearby island of Panarea. In video posted on social media, an American woman is heard to say: "Oh my God. I don't think we should go there today." The volcano last erupted on July 3, when a 35-year-old Italian hiker was killed by falling debris. He was with a companion who survived. At the time, one tourist wrote: "I've never felt so much fear in my life." Stromboli is part of the Aeolian archipelago of islands, which attract sailors and celebrities during the summer months. "The situation is under control, but all the same we have activated the normal civil protection procedures," said Marco Giorgianni, the mayor of Lipari, the most populated of the islands. Volcanologists believe Stromboli has been in nearly continuous eruption for at least 2,000 years and the eruption on Wednesday is not considered unusual. There are small eruptions on an hourly basis, with the volcano spewing out chunks of incandescent lava, ash and volcanic rock from its cone. At night the explosions can be seen far out at sea, lending the island the nickname "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean." There have been several fatal explosions in the past – four people were killed in 1919, three people in 1930 and one person, a biologist, in 1986.
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| Video Shows Fight at Oklahoma City Middle School Injuring Teacher Posted: 28 Aug 2019 03:51 PM PDT  Chaos at an Oklahoma City middle school is caught on camera was students are seen fighting each other and laying their hands on teachers in an all-out brawl.
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| Trade insiders say Trump’s botching chances of a China deal Posted: 27 Aug 2019 03:42 PM PDT  "He's undermining the credibility of his negotiators."
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| Jeffrey Epstein: CCTV footage from outside jail cell ‘unusable’ as FBI hunts for clearer recording Posted: 27 Aug 2019 01:45 AM PDT  At least one camera in the hallway outside the cell where authorities say registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself earlier this month had footage that is unusable, although other, clearer footage was captured in the area, according to three people briefed on the evidence gathered earlier this month.It was not immediately clear why some video footage outside Epstein's cell is too flawed for investigators to use or what is visible in the other, usable footage. The incident is being investigated by the FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general's office, which are attempting to determine what happened and how to assess whether any policies were violated or crimes committed.
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| Pound dives on increased no-deal Brexit prospect Posted: 28 Aug 2019 06:40 AM PDT  The pound fell versus the dollar and euro Wednesday as Britain's government moved to extend the suspension of parliament, increasing the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit.
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| Russia: No involvement in Berlin daytime slaying of Georgian Posted: 28 Aug 2019 07:17 AM PDT ![Russia: No involvement in Berlin daytime slaying of Georgian]( "Russia: No involvement in Berlin daytime slaying of Georgian") Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman on Wednesday denied media reports that Moscow may have been involved in the brazen daytime slaying of a Georgian man in Berlin. Berlin prosecutors have released little about Friday's killing, except to say the 40-year-old victim was shot by a cyclist, who was captured shortly afterward and identified as a 48-year-old Russian man. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had nothing to do with the crime.
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| 'Fair maps': Barack Obama launches new initiative to help take on partisan gerrymandering Posted: 26 Aug 2019 07:49 PM PDT  Former President Barack Obama said gerrymandering is an issue he has made a top priority from his "2008 campaign until now." But the Supreme Court recently ruled maps that resulted from partisan redistricting are constitutional.
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| Balkan Rift Deepens With Some Unexpected Help From... Togo Posted: 28 Aug 2019 01:59 AM PDT ![Balkan Rift Deepens With Some Unexpected Help From... Togo]( "Balkan Rift Deepens With Some Unexpected Help From... Togo") (Bloomberg) -- The biggest territorial dispute in the Balkans, which has hampered Serbia's and Kosovo's integration with the European Union, has gone global instead of moving closer to resolution.While publicly stating that it wants to resume EU-mediated talks, Serbia has been campaigning to persuade nations not to recognize Kosovo's 2008 unilateral declaration of independence.Vowing never to accept the Western-backed split of Kosovo, Serbia is working to reduce the number of countries that recognized Europe's newest state after the total peaked at 116 of 193 United Nations members.In the latest twist to the diplomatic saga, Serbia's Deputy Premier Ivica Dacic said this week he persuaded Togo to revoke its recognition made in 2014, making the west Africa nation 15th in the world to switch sides in the dispute and back Serbia's stance. Previous Serb wins include Grenada, Suriname, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Guinea-Bissau, Burundi, Papua New Guinea and Lesotho, he said.Serbia aims to reduce the number of states recognizing Kosovo to at least half of all UN members to make sure the latter never joins the organization, not even as an observer, according to Serbia's foreign minister. The biggest former Yugoslav republic also relies on the backing from Russia, China, India and five EU states that have not recognized Kosovo.The diplomatic dispute, which has intensified in the past three years, has stirred another wave of unease in Kosovo, with the Foreign Ministry saying on Facebook it has faced "an unprecedented diplomatic and propaganda campaign by Serbia with the support of Russia and other countries to hinder Kosovo's integration into the international community."The government is working with the U.S. and other western allies to counter the campaign by Serbs who use "bribes, corrupt affairs, arms sales and visa waiver agreements" to win nations over, the ministry said.Serbia and Kosovo fought a war that only stopped in 1999 when NATO bombed Serbia. The Balkan neighbors signed in 2013 an EU-brokered framework deal to mend ties but the efforts stalled last year when Serbia blocked Kosovo from joining Interpol, triggering a retaliatory 100% tax on Serb imports.The trade barrier will remain until Serbia accepts Kosovo's statehood, said Premier Ramush Haradinaj who has made the tariff a key theme of his campaign ahead of Oct. 6 snap vote in the landlocked nation of 1.9 million people.The U.S., France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. have urged the Balkan neighbors to sit and talk rather than use resources to battle it out globally."For Kosovo, that means suspending the tariffs imposed on Serbia," the western nations said in a joint statement in mid August. "For Serbia, that means suspending the de-recognition campaign against Kosovo."Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic dismissed this, saying that under the 2013 deal signed in Brussels both sides were to halt the hunt for allies at the time when the total of countries accepting Kosovo as a country was just over 80.Kosovo "never accepted this, and since they didn't, we just did our job" to seek reversals, Vucic said after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week.The next showdown may be in October when Interpol holds its conference in Chile and Serbia will again seek to block Kosovo from the organization, Foreign Minister Dacic said.(Updates with Serb plan to block Kosovo from Interpol in last paragraph.)\--With assistance from Gordana Filipovic and Jasmina Kuzmanovic.To contact the reporter on this story: Misha Savic in Belgrade at msavic2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, ;Irina Vilcu at isavu@bloomberg.net, Alan CrawfordFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Hurricane Dorian is now a Category 1 storm, hitting the US Virgin Islands. The hurricane could reach Florida on Monday. Posted: 28 Aug 2019 11:01 AM PDT  Tropical Storm Dorian has officially been upgraded to a hurricane. It's moving north through the Caribbean and is currently hitting St. Thomas.
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| Another resignation shakes LGBT Republican group after Trump endorsement Posted: 27 Aug 2019 10:49 AM PDT  The first female executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans resigned this week following the group's endorsement of President Trump's reelection, the second official to step down in as many weeks.
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| Source: Prostitute arrested in 3 deaths, including head chef found dead in Queens Posted: 27 Aug 2019 07:36 AM PDT  A law enforcement source says a woman is under arrest in connection to three deaths -- including a head chef of a well-known NYC restaurant who was found dead last week.
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| Michigan Man Accused of Murdering Wife by Putting Lethal Dose of Heroin in Her Cereal Posted: 27 Aug 2019 06:51 PM PDT  Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/FacebookFive years after a Michigan mother died of what was deemed an accidental overdose at the time, police have charged her husband with murder—with investigators alleging he spiked her cereal with a lethal dose of heroin. Jason Harris, 44, was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with first-degree murder, solicitation of murder and delivery of a controlled substance causing death. His wife, 36-year-old Christina Ann-Thompson Harris, was found dead in her home in September 2014 in a case that, at the time, was seen as a tragic accident. According to MLive, neighbors found Christina in her bed and were unable to wake her on the morning of Sept. 29. At the time, Jason told police his wife had a cold and he asked a neighbor to check in on her after he left for work.The Genesee County Medical Examiner ruled Christina's death an accidental overdose, though her family never knew her to be a drug user. Now, prosecutors say Christina's family members long had their suspicions about the shocking death. In October 2014, Jason Harris' siblings approached local police and said Jason had previously made remarks about "getting rid of Christina" and alleged he had been seeing other women before his wife's death, police said. Christina's mother also told authorities that her daughter "seemed fine" one day before her death, contradicting Jason's story.Jason's co-workers recalled him saying he had spiked his wife's water with Xanax pills, and asked what pills were odorless and tasteless. He was also accused of offering a hit man and his fellow co-worker $5,000 to kill Christina."We believe Jason Harris murdered his wife," Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton told reporters Tuesday. "We believe he put heroin into her cereal and milk the night that she died after getting it from someone, thinking it would be tasteless and odorless much like he had asked his coworkers multiple times."Leyton also said Christina's previous blood work before her death showed no sign of heroin use. At the time of her death, Christina had also recently given birth, and tests of the breast milk she had produced and stored for her baby in the days before her death showed no traces of heroin or any other drug. Jason allegedly told a co-worker that he "just needed to get rid" of his wife so he wouldn't have to deal with a divorce, child support payments, or a custody battle. He also allegedly offered a man $5,000 to kill his wife but the man was caught while performing surveillance, Leyton said. Investigators later confirmed the family's allegations, and determined that Jason had been communicating with several other women before Christina's death—including one woman from Rhode Island. He allegedly traveled to the state just days after his wife's death to visit the woman, and police say Christina found text messages on his phone with the woman prior to her death. The woman and a child moved in with Jason less than two months after Christina died, ABC12 reports. The woman was reportedly still living with Jason at the time of his arrest.While he was fired from his job after testing positive for methamphetamine use, Jason was able to get a $100,000 life insurance check from Christina's employer and $20,000 life insurance check from his job after Christina died. A Legacy.com obituary for Christina also directs memorial contributions to be made out to Jason "in lieu of flowers."Jason could face life in prison if convicted. According to the Associated Press, he was denied bond at his Tuesday court appearance. His attorney, Nicholas Robinson, told MLive that his client "pled not guilty" and will contest the charges."Mr. Harris has been completely cooperative throughout this five year investigation and is eager to have all of the facts revealed when this case is presented," Robinson said. Jason is due back in court on Sept. 5.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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| Disaster feared if 'ticking time bomb' Yemen tanker explodes Posted: 28 Aug 2019 10:27 AM PDT  An abandoned oil tanker anchored off war-torn Yemen that is degrading along with its cargo could explode and cause an environmental disaster, experts said Wednesday as UN inspectors prepared to visit. The ship "Safer", used as a floating storage platform, is laden with some 1.1 million barrels of crude oil and has been stranded with no maintenance since early 2015, leaving it to deteriorate and potentially allowing explosive gases to build up. United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that a technical assessment team was waiting in nearby Djibouti preparing to board the Safer for a first-hand evaluation.
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| 245 rescued from burning ferry in Philippine waters, 3 dead Posted: 28 Aug 2019 03:54 AM PDT  Fishing boats and passing ships rescued 245 people from a ferry that burned overnight in choppy waters in the southern Philippines but at least three people perished, including a child, coast guard officials said Wednesday. Survivors described how they feared being killed by either the fire or waves while waiting for hours to be rescued as bright-orange flames engulfed much of the vessel, the M/V Lite Ferry 16, off Dapitan city in Zamboanga del Norte province. The fire apparently started in the engine room, coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said.
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| View Photos of the 2019 Hyundai Tucson Ultimate Posted: 27 Aug 2019 04:59 AM PDT |
| Exclusive: China denies Qingdao port visit for U.S. warship amid tensions Posted: 27 Aug 2019 08:40 PM PDT  China has denied a request for a U.S. Navy warship to visit the Chinese port city of Qingdao in recent days, a U.S. defense official told Reuters on Tuesday, at a time of tense ties between the world's two largest economies. This marks at least the second time China has denied a request by the United States this month, having earlier rejected a request for two U.S. Navy ships to visit Hong Kong, as the political crisis in the former British colony deepened. The defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the destroyer was supposed to visit on Sunday but China denied the request prior to that.
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| OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma reportedly offering opioid settlement up to $12B Posted: 27 Aug 2019 01:50 PM PDT  OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is reportedly offering a settlement worth up to $12 billion to resolve claims over its role in the opioid crisis.
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| A Florida surfer caught a wave and crash landed onto a shark that bit him Posted: 28 Aug 2019 08:51 AM PDT  Donald Walsh, a chiropractor from Florida, caught a wave while surfing and landed on a shark. It's the 11th shark bite reported in the area this year.
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| Mnuchin Says China Trade Meeting Will Happen But Won't Say When Posted: 28 Aug 2019 03:16 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said U.S. trade officials expect Chinese negotiators to visit Washington, but wouldn't say whether a previously planned September meeting would take place."We continue to have conversations. We're planning for them to come," Mnuchin said Wednesday in an interview, declining to say whether the September encounter would happen.Tensions between the two nations reached a fresh peak last Friday when China threatened retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. and President Donald Trump responded with a plan to ratchet up duties on Chinese products further and ordered American companies to look for alternatives to the country. The remarks prompted U.S. stocks to suffer one of their worst losses of the year.By Monday, Trump had softened his tone, saying the two nations had had phone conversations and that China was eager to strike a deal.Compounding the battle over tariffs, the two nations are engaged in a dispute over the value of their currencies. Mnuchin said Wednesday that he's been in contact with China's top central banker, the International Monetary Fund and other counterparts in Beijing over what the U.S. has deemed manipulation of the yuan."We've had conversations with the IMF and directly with our counterparts in China, including the governor of the PBOC," since the U.S. formally labeled China a currency manipulator on Aug. 5, Mnuchin said, referring to Yi Gang, who heads the People's Bank of China.China's currency broke the 7 per dollar level earlier this month for the first time since 2008, unleashing tumult across global markets. The U.S.'s manipulator announcement followed a declaration by PBOC's Yi that his nation wouldn't use the yuan as a tool to deal with trade disputes.The designation of China as a currency manipulator was seen as largely symbolic since the potential penalties are less punitive than steps Trump has already taken against China."We will have a separate dialog and discussion on currency as part of the trade discussion but separate from the trade discussion," Mnuchin said.To contact the reporter on this story: Saleha Mohsin in Washington at smohsin2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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