| Spurred by gun violence, Amy O'Rourke will make solo campaign trail debut Posted: 03 Sep 2019 04:00 AM PDT  Amy O'Rourke, wife of presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, will step out on the campaign trail solo after previously avoiding the spotlight.
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| Hurricane Dorian: ‘Extremely dangerous’ storm kills five in Bahamas as Donald Trump plays golf Posted: 02 Sep 2019 09:38 AM PDT  Five people have been killed by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, the nation's prime minister has revealed, as Donald Trump spent part of the day playing golf.As the Category 4 storm pummelled the Bahamas with 233kph (145mph) winds, triggering huge damage and massive flooding, Hubert Minnis said at least five people had been killed and that more than 20 had been injured.
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| A Rift Reportedly Opens Between Hong Kong Prosecutors and Police as Protests Continue Unabated Posted: 03 Sep 2019 01:47 AM PDT  The head of the Hong Kong Court Prosecutors Association accuses police of lying, government funded broadcaster says
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| See Photos of the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:59 AM PDT ![See Photos of the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S]( "See Photos of the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S")
Mercedes-AMG's newest four-door takes after its two-door GT sibling, delivering scorching performance and speed with its twin-turbo V-8 and racy chassis. From Car and Driver
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| Cancer overtakes heart disease as biggest rich-world killer Posted: 03 Sep 2019 02:04 AM PDT  Cancer has overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death in wealthy countries and could become the world's biggest killer within just a few decades if current trends persist, researchers said on Tuesday. Publishing the findings of two large studies in The Lancet medical journal, the scientists said they showed evidence of a new global "epidemiologic transition" between different types of chronic disease. While cardiovascular disease remains, for now, the leading cause of mortality worldwide among middle-aged adults - accounting for 40% of all deaths - that is no longer the case in high-income countries, where cancer now kills twice as many people as heart disease, the findings showed.
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| Renewing or applying for airport fast pass Global Entry? Brace for lengthy delays Posted: 03 Sep 2019 12:53 PM PDT ![Renewing or applying for airport fast pass Global Entry? Brace for lengthy delays]( "Renewing or applying for airport fast pass Global Entry? Brace for lengthy delays") The Global Entry trusted traveler program has been plagued by lengthy application delays. Some travelers report over 100 days to renew.
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| Venezuela's Guaido in FARC pledge to Bogota Posted: 03 Sep 2019 11:57 AM PDT  Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido on Tuesday offered to help neighboring Colombia track down dissident FARC rebels after Bogota accused President Nicolas Maduro of giving them a safe haven. "We are going to collaborate with the Colombian government on intelligence activities, and the detection of these groups that are operating irregularly," Guaido told reporters in Caracas. Colombia's right-wing President Ivan Duque has pledged to hunt down dissident FARC leaders who last week formally rejected a 2016 peace deal and announced a return to arms.
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| Former Navy SEAL enters Yale as a 52-year-old freshman Posted: 03 Sep 2019 03:33 AM PDT  Former Navy SEAL James Hatch says heading to class as a freshman at Yale University is just about as nerve-wracking as preparing for the uncertainty of combat. At 52 years old, Hatch does not fit the profile of the traditional Yale freshman.
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| Duke of Sussex says private jet use essential for his family's safety Posted: 03 Sep 2019 12:58 AM PDT  The Duke of Sussex has defended his use of private jets, saying the "unique circumstances" of his family's safety made it sometimes essential and promising to "balance out the impact that I have". The Duke, who spoke as he launched an eco-tourism initiative in Amsterdam, insisted he would never choose to fly privately if there were other options and admitted "we can all do better" when it comes to sustainable travel. Saying "99 per cent" of his flights were commercial, he told an audience he had always offset his carbon footprint but noted that, when it comes to the "alarming" threats to the planet, "no-one is perfect" in their actions. The Duke flew commercially to Amsterdam to launch Travalyst, a new collaboration between companies Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and VISA to find solutions to the threats facing the planet as a result of the growing tourism industry. Asked directly about his own travel choices as he hosted a Q&A;, the Duke said: "I came here [to Amsterdam] on commercial. "I spend 99 per cent of my life travelling the world by commercial. "Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe. "It's genuinely as simple as that. But as I said in my speech, it is about balance. The Duke of Sussex arriving in Amsterdam Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA "If I have to do that - and it's not a decision I would want to take but if I have to do that - then I will ensure, as I have done previously and will continue to ensure that I do, is to balance out the impact that I have. "I've always offset my CO2. In my mind it's the right thing to do. We need to make it cool. It can't just be a ticking-the-box exercise. "Somehow we need to connect people to where this money is actually going and the moment you have that connection, feel you have a bigger connection in life and you can actually see the difference that you're making, then I think that's acceptable." Earlier in the Q&A;, the Duke had raised the issue himself by asking the panel: "Is the solution to sustainable aviation not encouraging people to fly less often?" Jane Sun, CEO of Ctrip, replied that the solution lies in "investing in technology" to improve fuel efficiency and make plane travel time shorter and less environmentally damaging. In a speech, the Duke outlined his hopes that the public will soon be able to select "sustainable" travel options as a default, allowing developing countries to benefit directly from tourism and halt the destruction caused by too many visitors. Prince Harry hosts a Q&A; in Amsterdam Credit: Getty The result of two years of private meetings, the Travalyst collaboration will announce the results of its research and the tangible projects inspired by it over the coming months. The launch, at the A'dam Tower, comes just weeks after the Duke faced accusations of hypocrisy for a string of overseas trips by private jets this summer which appeared to be in contrast to his public words on the environment. One trip allegedly saw him fly to Sicily to deliver a barefoot speech about the environment to billionaires and celebrities at Google Camp, and he also took holidays to Ibiza and Nice with his wife and son. While other members of the Royal Family also fly by private charter, the Sussexes travel plans became a worldwide talking point after celebrities including Sir Elton John cited threats to their safety. In the same month, the Cambridges were photographed flying with members of the public from Norfolk to Scotland with their three small children on budget airline FlyBe. The Duke said: "Sometimes the scale of the conservation crisis feels overwhelming and that individual actions can't make a difference. "I've certainly felt that – but I've learned that we cannot dismiss the idea of trying to do something, just because we can't do everything. "We can all do better. And while no one is perfect, we are all responsible for our own individual impact; the question is what we do to balance it out." Prince Harry launches Travalyst Credit: PA The Duke, who believes the wider benefits of travel outweigh calls from the green lobby to cut down on flying altogether, now hopes companies can find a way to make eco-friendly option the default for members of the public at all price points. Opening his remarks by conceding he is "not an expert", he said his own travel as a working royal had "given me a unique perspective on the issues the world faces, and an opportunity to meet a diverse range of communities— to hear them describe their problems as well as their ideas for solutions". Saying he had been particularly struck by one small boy in the Caribbean who told him: "Because of your country, my country's coral reef is dying", he said: "These human-caused challenges often need a giant system shift to make a significant enough impact. "And that is what this partnership is here to try and do. But just because it is such a massive undertaking, doesn't mean we can't all play our part." Prince Harry speaks to travel industry experts in Amsterdam Credit: Getty Of his hopes for encouraging change, he said people are now "speaking up" in the hopes of making their own travel more sustainable but can be left overwhelmed by the scale of the problem. "They want to see the world, but they also want to know that with all the good that they take home - souvenirs, memories, photos- that they leave just as much good behind," he said. "They want a paradigm shift and I believe one is coming. I believe we can—and we must—find new ways to minimise the dangers and maximise the opportunities of tourism. "More and more people will travel, and we can't stop that, nor would we want to, because it truly opens our minds and broadens our horizons. "We seek to appreciate what is different… and to find what connects us. "Travel expands our understanding of the world, it breaks down barriers and preconceptions, it also offers us an escape. "It can also deepen our sense of obligation to this borrowed place we call home." The Duke's speech echoes much of what his father, the Prince of Wales, has warned of for years, referencing the "alarming" lack of "symbiosis or connection" between community, the environment and its visiting tourists. In particular, he said, he hopes to find a way for developing communities to benefit from the tourist industries they serve. A spokesman said Travalyst had offset the environmental costs for the event, including flights for all attendees.
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| Tropical Storm Fernand forms in Gulf as it moves toward Mexico Posted: 03 Sep 2019 11:04 AM PDT  The low spinning in the Gulf near Mexico has intensified into a tropical storm. It is expected to move into Mexico Wednesday evening.
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| Trump insists meteorologists are wrong and he is right to say Hurricane Dorian could have hit Alabama Posted: 03 Sep 2019 04:55 AM PDT  Donald Trump has insisted he is right - and meteorologists are wrong - over his repeated claim Hurricane Dorian could strike parts of Alabama.Forecasters, including the government's own National Weather Service, were forced to correct the US president after he warned in a tweet on Sunday morning that Alabama would "most likely" be hit by the record-breaking tropical storm, which is currently devastating the Bahamas.
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| Revealed: How a secret Dutch mole aided the U.S.-Israeli Stuxnet cyberattack on Iran Posted: 02 Sep 2019 09:00 AM PDT  For years, an enduring mystery has surrounded the Stuxnet virus attack that targeted Iran's nuclear program: How did the U.S. and Israel get their malware onto computer systems at the highly secured uranium-enrichment plant?
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| 7 fatally shot, 34 wounded in Chicago during Labor Day weekend gun violence Posted: 03 Sep 2019 01:11 PM PDT  Gun violence over the Labor Day weekend has left seven people dead and another 34 wounded in Chicago.
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| South Korean reporters grill minister nominee for 11 hours Posted: 03 Sep 2019 03:31 AM PDT  South Korean reporters have grilled President Moon Jae-in's nominee for justice minister for 11 hours over suspected ethical lapses surrounding his family that have triggered an intense political row and cut into Moon's popularity ratings. At a news conference that continued until the early hours of Tuesday, Cho Kuk, a law professor and Moon's former secretary for civil affairs, denied allegations that his daughter received special treatment in her admissions to a top university in Seoul and a medical school in Busan. Cho's news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul was abruptly arranged after his parliamentary confirmation hearing set for Monday and Tuesday fell through amid political bickering between ruling and opposition parties.
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| UK PM Johnson loses majority in parliament after lawmaker defects to Liberal Democrats Posted: 03 Sep 2019 07:37 AM PDT ![UK PM Johnson loses majority in parliament after lawmaker defects to Liberal Democrats]( "UK PM Johnson loses majority in parliament after lawmaker defects to Liberal Democrats") British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lost his working majority in parliament on Tuesday when one of his Conservative lawmakers defected to the pro-European Union Liberal Democrats. Phillip Lee crossed the floor of the House of Commons just as Johnson began giving a statement on last month's G7 summit.
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| Huawei Accuses U.S. of Harassing Workers, Attacking Network Posted: 03 Sep 2019 02:40 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. Huawei Technologies Co. lashed out at the U.S. government Tuesday, accusing Washington of orchestrating a campaign to intimidate its employees and launching cyber-attacks to infiltrate its internal network.China's largest technology company claimed the American government had instructed law enforcement agencies to threaten and attempt to manipulate its employees. Huawei also accused the U.S. of launching attacks against its networks, the company said in a statement without saying how it obtained that information.The accusations ratchet up tensions between Huawei and the Trump administration, which has accused the networking giant of aiding Beijing in espionage and labeled it a national security risk. Washington has blacklisted the Chinese company, curbing the sales of the technology Huawei needs to make phones and telecommunications equipment."It has been using every tool at its disposal – including both judicial and administrative powers, as well as a host of other unscrupulous means – to disrupt the normal business operations of Huawei and its partners," the company said. Other measures included "instructing law enforcement to threaten, menace, coerce, entice, and incite both current and former Huawei employees to turn against the company and work for them."Representatives for the U.S. National Security Council didn't immediately respond to requests for comment outside of normal hours.Read more: Huawei Founder Sees 'Live or Die Moment' From U.S. UncertaintyHuawei has become a focal point for U.S.-Chinese tensions, regarded by some as a bargaining chip in sensitive trade negotiations. The company is grappling with an existential threat after Washington blocked it from purchasing American technology, cutting off vital supplies from Qualcomm Inc. chipsets to Google's Android operating software. The U.S. has also urged countries and companies to reject Huawei technology in their next generation of wireless networks, telling allies it could put their citizens' data at risk of espionage.Those efforts squeezed a company that had been on the cusp of dominating fifth-generation networking, the technology that will underpin future modern economies. Billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei warned in an internal memo in August his company faced a "live or die moment."The smartphone maker's statement came in response to an Aug. 30 Wall Street Journal report, which cited unidentified sources as saying the Justice Department was investigating the alleged theft of patents by Huawei. The company again denied it had ever stolen technology, then launched into a litany of accusations against the Trump administration itself. Among the claims it listed: that the U.S. was detaining shipments, denying visas, sending federal agents to employees' homes and even impersonating Huawei staff to entrap legitimate workers."We strongly condemn the malign, concerted effort by the U.S. government to discredit Huawei and curb its leadership position in the industry," the company said. "No company becomes a global leader in their field through theft."(Updates with details in Huawei's statement from the second paragraph)\--With assistance from Justin Sink.To contact the reporter on this story: Edwin Chan in Hong Kong at echan273@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Peter Elstrom at pelstrom@bloomberg.net, Colum MurphyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The Electoral College isn't set in stone. Texas, Wisconsin could be next to switch sides. Posted: 03 Sep 2019 05:42 AM PDT  Even the safest Republican and Democratic states can change. We've seen dramatic reversals from California to West Virginia over the past 30 years.
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| Iran oil tanker at centre of diplomatic row with UK 'goes dark' off Syria after being released by Gibraltar Posted: 03 Sep 2019 04:48 AM PDT  The tanker at the centre of a diplomatic row between Iran and Britain "went dark" yesterday night off the coast of Syria, where it is suspected she may be delivering a controversial cargo of Iranian crude oil. The Adrian Darya 1, formally named Grace 1, would be doing so in breach of an agreement made to secure its release and threatens to become a major political embarrassment for the UK. The vessel was detained by British Royal Marine commandos off Gibraltar on July 4 as it was believed to be en route to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. Two weeks later, Iran in retaliation seized British-flagged Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz leading into the Gulf. Gibraltar released the Adrian Darya on August 15 after receiving formal written assurances from Tehran that the ship would not discharge its 2.1 million barrels of oil in Syria. The Stena has not been released. An aerial view shows a speedboat of Iran's Revolutionary Guard moving around the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which was seized in the Strait of Hormuz Credit: AP Iran changed the Grace 1's name and sold the oil, though it did not disclose the buyer. Since then it has been sailing around the Mediterranean with its load, continually changing its destination port. The US Treasury Department blacklisted the tanker on Friday, citing intelligence it was planning to deliver its crude to Syria. US Coast Guardsmen with Maritime Security Response Team East, Advanced Interdiction Team Detachment 1, during a training exercise in the Gulf Credit: Reuters Washington warned any state against assisting the ship, saying it would consider that support for a terrorist organisation, namely, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, prompting Greece to deny the Adrian permission to dock. According to TankerTrackers.com, which uses satellite tracking to record shipping movements, the vessel sent its last signal giving its position in international waters heading north towards Syria at 5.53pm local time on Monday. "It's now safe to assume she's in Syria's territorial waters," TankerTrackers.com tweeted. It is now thought to be sitting off the coast of Tartus awaiting a ship-to-ship transfer via one of a handful of Iranian-linked tankers in the region, also currently with no Automatic Identification System signals active. It is not against international law for a ship to turn her AIS off, but it is often done to try to get around sanctions. Lloyd's List Intelligence suggested two possible smaller vessels that may be involved in any transfer. Silvia 1, an Iran-flagged tanker, turned off its transponder on August 29 having entered the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. While Stark I, a 159,681 dwt, Iran-flagged crude tanker, took a similar route, also dropping off communication late on August 30. "The fact that Adrian Darya 1 is currently skirting the Syrian coast with its AIS offline, awaiting what the US intelligence services expect to be an imminent ship-to-ship transfer, which will ultimately see its cargo end up in Syria, is politically embarrassing for almost everyone except Iran," said Richard Meade, managing editor of Lloyd's List Intelligence. View of the Iranian oil tanker, formerly named Grace 1, anchored off Gibraltar Credit: REX The oil delivery could undermine European efforts to broker US-Iran talks. The UK, which has been pulled in opposing directions by European and American allies, has been trying to keep a diplomatic track with Tehran despite rising tensions. President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the nuclear deal with Tehran last year, leaving EU signatories scrambling to keep it alive. An Iranian government spokesman said on Tuesday it will "take a strong step" away from its 2015 nuclear accord if Europe cannot offer the country new terms by a deadline at the end of this week, as top Iranian diplomats travelled to France and Russia for last-minute talks. Should the Adrian offload as expected, it will raise questions as to whether the Islamic republic is acting in good faith.
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| Ford Recalls Pickup Trucks and SUVs for Seat Problem Posted: 03 Sep 2019 10:35 AM PDT  Ford is recalling 483,325 vehicles in the U.S., 58,712 in Canada, and 8,149 in Mexico because the mechanism that controls how the front driver and/or passenger seatbacks recline may have been imp...
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| Woman charged with kidnapping missing girl claims father sold toddler for $10K, reports say Posted: 02 Sep 2019 08:57 PM PDT ![Woman charged with kidnapping missing girl claims father sold toddler for $10K, reports say]( "Woman charged with kidnapping missing girl claims father sold toddler for $10K, reports say") The Allegheny County Police Department and the FBI are investigating the disappearance of a 2-year-old who was abducted from western Pa.
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| Hurricane Dorian edges 'dangerously close' to Florida after battering Bahamas Posted: 03 Sep 2019 09:48 AM PDT  * Five dead as island nation suffers 'historic tragedy' * Follow the latest live updates on Hurricane DorianRain brought on by Hurricane Dorian continues to pour in Freeport, Bahamas, on Tuesday. Photograph: Tim Aylen/APHurricane Dorian was edging "dangerously close" to the US mainland on Tuesday, after its catastrophic two-day stall over the Bahamas destroyed thousands of homes and left at least five people dead.Despite weakening to a category 2 storm with sustained winds of 110mph, Dorian remained powerful, experts warned, with the potential to deliver "life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds" from central Florida to the Carolinas.The storm's slow north-westerly crawl towards Florida finally began on Tuesday morning after a relentless 48-hour battering of the Abaco islands and Grand Bahama, causing massive destruction that the Bahamas prime minister, Hubert Minnis, said was an "historic tragedy"."The Bahamas is presently at war and being attacked by Hurricane Dorian," he told the Nassau Guardian. "And yet it has no weapon at its disposal to defend itself during such an assault by this enemy."Rescue workers, including some from the US coast guard, worked to lift stranded residents from the roofs of flooded homes. More than 20 people were airlifted to safety in New Providence island, some with serious injuries.Large areas of Grand Bahama, including the popular tourist resort of Freeport, remained under water."The reality of it all is, unfortunately, we will see more deaths. I can't see any way out of it," Marvin Dames, the Bahamas minister of national security, told reporters. He added that several of the confirmed dead were children.Millions in Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina evacuated inland as Dorian, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane of modern times, began to menace the American mainland.The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said in its 11am advisory winds had dropped to almost half the speed of the 200mph gusts that pounded Abaco island at landfall on Sunday.But the size of the storm was increasing, senior hurricane specialist Dan Brown reported, with hurricane-force winds stretching 60 miles from its core and tropical storm-force winds up to 175mph.While Dorian's center is no longer predicted to make a Florida landfall, according to the NHC, the storm is still expected to deliver a powerful blow."The increasing size of Dorian's windfield along with any deviation to the left of the forecast track will bring hurricane-force winds onshore along portions of the Florida east coast," Brown said.Dorian's projected path saw it hugging the Florida coastline for the next 24 to 36 hours, close to the Florida-Georgia border by Wednesday evening and grazing the Carolinas through Thursday and Friday.The storm has been difficult to predict because of constant atmospheric changes in the Atlantic and Caribbean which left Dorian parked over Grand Bahama for so long."Somebody once told me a hurricane is like an elephant on roller-skates," severe weather expert Jim Lushine, a retired NHC forecaster, told the Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper. "It doesn't make a very sharp turn. It has to slow down tremendously before it can turn."In Savannah, Georgia, on Tuesday the scene was eerily quiet, 36 hours ahead of the expected arrival of tropical storm force winds. The city, with a group of other Georgian coastal counties, was placed under an evacuation order on Monday by Governor Brian Kemp.Matthew Aylen wades through waist deep water as he is rescued during Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Bahamas, on Tuesday. Photograph: Tim Aylen/APThe latest National Weather Service rainfall forecast indicated that the flash flood threat would increase into Wednesday along the Florida peninsula, then spread up the south-eastern and mid-Atlantic coast.In Miami, which has a large Bahamian community, volunteers and aid agencies were beginning to assemble relief supplies to send to the islands once the storm moved on.In a tweet using the hashtag bahamasstrong, Senator Marco Rubio said the government was ready to provide aid and assistance.As many as 13,000 homes in the Bahamas may have been destroyed or severely damaged, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said."It looks like they're boats on top of the water," said Rosa Knowles-Bain, 61, a resident who fled two days ago to an emergency shelter.At the White House, staff members reviewed hurricane planning with state and local officials. Donald Trump was being briefed hourly, the White House spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said.After cancelling a visit to Poland to stay in the US and "monitor" the storm, Trump played golf at his course in Virginia on Saturday and Sunday, before receiving hurricane briefings.Nine counties in Florida issued mandatory evacuations. They included parts of Duval county, home to Jacksonville, one of the two biggest cities in the state, and some areas in Palm Beach county, home to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.Orlando international airport, one of the largest in Florida, ceased commercial operations at 2am on Tuesday because of the storm, it said in a statement. The airport in Fort Lauderdale planned to resume operations later on Tuesday, officials said.More than 2,300 flights were cancelled in the US as well as to and from the country. Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando was planning to close at 3pm on Tuesday. * The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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| Mexican official denies vigilante movement has reignited Posted: 02 Sep 2019 06:57 PM PDT  State and local officials in western Mexico disputed Monday whether the old vigilante "self-defense" movement has re-awakened, or whether recent confrontations are just turf battles between gangs. The 2013-2014 vigilante movement took control of large swaths of western Michoacan state, purportedly to expel the old Knights Templar drug cartel. Over the weekend, vigilantes in the town of Tepalcatepec said they had fought off a massive attack by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and posted videos showing hundreds of purported vigilante fighters and shot-up pickup trucks surrounded by bodies.
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| Grand Bahama waterlogged in Hurricane Dorian before and after satellite photos Posted: 03 Sep 2019 12:24 PM PDT  Next-generation satellite technology capable of penetrating cloud cover shows widespread flooding from slow-moving Hurricane Dorian.
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| All-clear for German city Hanover after WWII bomb defused Posted: 02 Sep 2019 11:03 PM PDT  More than 15,000 people evacuated from their homes in the German city of Hanover were free to return early Tuesday after city officials said an unexploded World War II bomb had been defused. Tweets less than an hour apart from the city hall reported the bomb defusal team starting work and then issuing the all-clear at 01:07 am. The unearthing of World War II era bombs is a common occurrence in Hanover, home to some 500,000 people and one of dozens of cities the Allies targeted during the conflict.
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| North Carolina court strikes down state legislative map as unconstitutional gerrymander Posted: 03 Sep 2019 01:51 PM PDT ![North Carolina court strikes down state legislative map as unconstitutional gerrymander]( "North Carolina court strikes down state legislative map as unconstitutional gerrymander") A three-judge panel in Wake County Superior Court said the state Senate and state House district lines discriminated against Democratic voters in violation of the state constitution's free elections, equal protection and free speech clauses. The decision is a victory for election reform advocates considering legal challenges to partisan gerrymandering in state courts despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year blocking such cases in federal courts. State Senate Leader Phil Berger, a Republican, criticized the case as an attempt to "game" the redistricting process but signaled lawmakers would not appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.
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| Amazon crisis: Warring tribes unite against Bolsonaro plans to devastate Brazil’s rainforests for cash Posted: 03 Sep 2019 04:04 AM PDT  Indigenous communities living in Amazon's Xingu river basin are reportedly putting aside long-running ethnic conflicts to unite against Jair Bolsonaro's administration.Representatives of 14 indigenous groups and four riverside reserves in the basin met in the Kubenkokre village last week.
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| 'Bring on Brexit' says French mayor in row over Royal Marines veteran who left rowing machine up Mont Blanc Posted: 03 Sep 2019 06:54 AM PDT  ARoyal Marines veteran who attempted to climb Mont Blanc with a rowing machine on his back for charity was forced to abandon the device less than 1,500 feet from the summit, prompting a row with the local French mayor. Matthew Paul Disney attempted to scale Western Europe's highest mountain, which stands at 4,809m (15,780ft) but had to turn back on Saturday morning at 4,362m due to bad weather. The charity stunt was in aid of raising funds for Rock 2 Recovery and RMA - The Royal Marines Charity. The fitness enthusiast and global adventurer from Lancashire, left the 26-kilogramme, 2.5-metre long unbalanced Concept2 rowing machine in an emergency hut near the top. Mr Disney, 36, said he was very disappointed not to have completed the ascent with the machine, saying the the main reason was poor visibility due to bad weather. He did, however, go on to reach the top without it. Shortly after descending, he said on Facebook he intended to go back up between September 12 and 30 to retrieve the rowing machine, reach the summit and return with the equipment. However, his unfinished bid prompted a furious response from Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, which encompasses the French side of Europe's highest Alp. Matthew Paul Disney had intended to retrieve the rowing machine he left near the top of Mont Blanc but the mayor banned him Credit: Telegraph In an angry Facebook missive to Mr Disney, he wrote: "Can't wait for Brexit that you stay on your island [sic]." "I have received no apologies and even if it is for charity, it's an aberration, even more so for a soldier of her Majesty. Shameful", he later told The Daily Telegraph. The mayor said he had banned Mr Disney from going back up Mont Blanc to recover the rowing machine and would be sending a bill of €1,800 (£1,640) plus VAT to the British Embassy in Paris for the costs of his men bringing it down. Mr Disney said the mayor's Brexit comments were "very unprofessional, undiplomatic and could be seen as a mild form of racism". Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, sent an angry message to RM Disney welcoming Brexit "I wouldn't litter anywhere let alone a mountain. This is my 13th country's highest mountain with a rowing machine and 21st without a rowing machine, so I have a lot of love and passion for mountains. I would never dream of littering or making a mockery of a mountain," he told the Telegraph. Earlier this summer, Mr Disney successfully climbed Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon and the distance in-between with the Concept2 Rowing Machine on his back. Mr Disney posted a photo showing the rower neatly stored inside the hut. "As you can see in the photo, it is not litter, it is not on the top of the mountain. It is not taking up vital space," he said. Safety hut near the top of Mont Blanc where Royal Marines vet Matthew Paul Disney stored his rowing machine Credit: Telegraph He said could "understand the mayor's concern because there are a lot of foolish people". But he said, he had his climb rubber-stamped by gendarmes after showing them his "experience, skillset, my fitness level and my intention to raise awareness for two military charities, good causes for active and veterans on the brink of suicide." He questioned the decision by the gendarmes to bar him going back up to get the rowing machine as "they had allowed me to go up with it" beforehand after he showed them his plans. Mr Peillex responded: "He's not in his own home and he doesn't decide." This was just one of a string of cases of "disrespect" for the mountain, the mayor said, adding that a German climber forced his dog to the top at night this weekend after being ordered not to by police. The dog came back down alive but with "bloodied paws". The outspoken official has written to Emmanuel Macron, the French president, calling for him to pass new a new law next year to "punish all the loonies who break the rules" on the overcrowded peak, often leaving rubbish along the way. Earlier this year, two Swiss mountaineers landed a small plane less than 400 metres from the top of the famed mountain before heading for the summit with police in pursuit. The two climbers were equipped with ropes and crampons and had already started climbing towards the summit when they were intercepted by police and asked to turn back. Already threatened by global warming, such people were turning Mont Blanc into an "amusement park" where people expect to see "sea lions juggling with balls and pretty fireworks", the mayor warned. Local authorities tightened rules on ascending the "normal route" to the summit without booking at a refuge earlier this year saying overcrowding was increasing the risk of mortality.
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| Why Kamala Harris Hasn’t Caught Fire in the Democratic 2020 Race Posted: 03 Sep 2019 01:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Kamala Harris entered the presidential race with impressive credentials -- a popular black woman with an inspiring story who hailed from a large Democratic state and drew accolades for her fiery questioning of President Donald Trump's nominees.Yet despite a shot of adrenaline after confronting front-runner Joe Biden in the first debate, she has failed to catch fire with Democratic voters who are torn between a nostalgic fondness for Biden and a revolutionary desire for Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.Harris's attempt to replicate her feat in the second debate backfired among Democrats who say she went too negative on Biden. The Californian also suffers from a perception that she lacks a deep ideological well to guide her policy ideas, in contrast to her three main rivals who are better-defined. And her past as a prosecutor has earned her supporters and detractors.Harris and Senator Cory Booker "really went after Vice President Biden -- it rebounded to their detriment that they went after Biden so much. Because it also looked like they were not just going after Biden, but they were going after the Obama legacy," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which is neutral in the primaries.Weingarten said many Democrats left the June debate thinking, "Kamala seems really feisty and let's look at her." But in the July debate they were turned off by Harris and other aggressors because "it looked like they were burning the house down, as opposed to building on what Democrats believe in."Harris surged from about 7% to 15% in averages of Democratic polls immediately after the first debate in late June, putting her in second or third place in the crowded field. But it was a sugar high — she's back to the 7% she had when summer began.For Harris, the danger is that she's another Marco Rubio. The Florida senator, too, had a potentially history-making candidacy during the Republican nomination battle in 2016 and was hailed by the party establishment as presidential timber, before he failed to translate that on the ground."Our focus is on winning the primary, not an off-year August news cycle, which is why we've spent the summer building the grassroots organizing foundation that will propel Kamala to victory in this race," Harris spokesman Ian Sams said in an email. "These races are marathons, not sprints, and Kamala is a long-distance runner."'Too Flippy-Floppy'In late July, Harris backed off her previous support for replacing private insurance with a national government plan and released a proposal that preserves the option for private plans, positioning herself ideologically between Sanders and Biden on one of the most contentious issues in the race.But rather than placating both wings, the move drew fire from all sides — the Sanders campaign accused her of going soft, Biden charged her with "double talk," and voters were left wondering what she stands for."Too flippy-floppy. I just don't like her," said Debby Fisher of Richmond, California — near Harris's hometown of Oakland — who plans to support Sanders.Suzanne Cowan of San Francisco said she soured on Harris after her change on health care."That's not my kind of candidate. Either you know what issues you support and you have the courage to stand up for them or you don't," she said. "For me she's 'I'll be in favor of whatever is trending' — and that doesn't cut it."'Her Brilliance, Her Passion'Patrick Kollar of Roy, Washington, who recently attended a Warren rally in Seattle, said he's unsure how to define Harris ideologically."That's a problem," he said. "I follow politics pretty closely and I don't know what she's about."Harris has set herself apart on culturally salient issues like immigration and gun control with far-reaching legislative proposals and executive actions to tackle two high priorities for Democratic voters. At the same time, she has downplayed ideological labels and branded herself as the "3 a.m. agenda" candidate who's focused on problems that keep Americans up at night."I lost my son to gun violence," said Lynette McElhaney of Oakland, adding that she was drawn to Harris's aggressive positions on gun control. "And critically important, she sent her staff to stand with me when my son was killed in Los Angeles."She said she supports Harris for "her mind, her brilliance, her passion, her heart."McElhaney was among the Harris volunteers who lined the halls at the Democratic National Committee summer meeting in San Francisco. They had donned "Kamala Harris for the people" T-shirts and campaign gear and chanted slogans for their candidate.Harris's past as a prosecutor — seven years as San Francisco district attorney and six years as California attorney general — is a mixed bag. Some Democrats say it's the reason she was so effective when questioning William Barr and Brett Kavanaugh, Trump's nominees for attorney general and the Supreme Court. Others say she fought too hard to achieve and sustain convictions in dubious circumstances.Rubio Redux?In some ways, Harris risks falling into the same trap that ensnared Rubio in 2016 — eloquent on the stump, adept at raising money, acceptable across the party spectrum but not loved by enough voters."Harris is trying to run in a lane very similar to what Rubio tried to do in 2016," said Alex Conant, the communications director for Rubio's presidential campaign. "They're both new faces, running as next-generation candidates against candidates that in many ways represent the past. They came into the campaign with ideological credentials but a message that would play well in the general.""It's a good strategy for coming in second," he quipped. "If you're acceptable to everyone you're not necessarily loved by anyone."Conant said the key for Harris is to pick an early state to win. Rubio split his efforts about equally in the first four states and landed several top-three finishes, but failed to win any of them."At some point you need to win somewhere," Conant said. "You need to be people's first choice."To contact the reporter on this story: Sahil Kapur in Washington at skapur39@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| View Photos of 2020 BMW M4 Edition ///M Heritage Posted: 03 Sep 2019 10:15 AM PDT |
| Floridians hope Dorian's economic impact will be temporary Posted: 03 Sep 2019 03:40 PM PDT  Hurricane Dorian is losing strength as it churns closer to the Florida coast, and that's bringing some cautious relief to the state's big tourism industry. Parts of the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida, closed early on Tuesday. Airports in Orlando, Palm Beach and several smaller cities remained closed, and most flights in Fort Lauderdale were scrubbed too.
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| Full U.S. pullout from Afghanistan could ignite 'total civil war': ex-U.S. envoys Posted: 03 Sep 2019 09:16 AM PDT  Nine former U.S. ambassadors on Tuesday warned that Afghanistan could collapse in a "total civil war" if President Donald Trump withdraws all U.S. forces before the Kabul government and the Taliban conclude a peace settlement. The nine, including five former ambassadors to Kabul, a former special envoy to Afghanistan and a former deputy secretary of State, issued their warning a day after U.S. chief negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad announced a draft accord with the Taliban for an initial drawdown of nearly 5,000 U.S. troops.
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| Hurricane Dorian: ‘It’s Going to be Extremely Close’ Says Hurricane Specialist Posted: 01 Sep 2019 06:48 PM PDT  Maria Alejandra Cardona/Reuters> Hurricane Dorian's winds have howled with gusts of up to 220 mph across the Caribbean, with sustained winds at 185 mph, making it the strongest storm to ever hover east of Florida, or that far north in the Atlantic Ocean, and tying it in second for highest winds ever recorded in the Atlantic. The merciless storm hit the island of Great Abaco in the Bahamas with that force on Sunday, leaving total devastation. The landfall officially tied Dorian with the decades-old record held by the 1935 Labor Day hurricane for the strongest winds of any storm to hit land. The slowly encroaching Hurricane was moved to Category 5 on Sunday—the highest category on the Saffir–Simpson scale, which classifies hurricanes based off of sustained wind speed.With just 205 miles between Dorian and the Florida coastline, President Trump made the declaration on Twitter on Sunday that 2019's Labor Day storm "is looking like one of the largest hurricanes ever." Later in the day, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R) ordered a mandatory evacuation of the state's entire coastline in the possibility that Dorian sweeps northward on Wednesday.Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist at Colorado State University's Department of Atmospheric Science specializing in Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane forecasts, talked to The Daily Beast about the likelihood that Dorian's wrath could reach the United States, and the devastation it could cause.What are the chances that Dorian will hit the United States at the 185 mph speed it is sustaining right now? As it approaches the United States, it should encounter some stronger vertical wind shear which should begin to weaken the storm somewhat. It's still forecast to turn north just before it gets to Florida. It's going to be extremely close, but at this point, an actual landfall seems relatively low. If it tracks close enough to the coast though, there could still be very substantial impacts including high winds and some storm surge. There could still be a landfall further up the coast in either Georgia or the Carolinas.What does a Category 5 storm entail?That generally means pretty much complete destruction for everything in its path. If Dorian does make landfall on the U.S., what kind of impact could it have on affected states?It all depends on how close the storm gets. It is going to be tracking perpendicular to the coastline when it approaches, so small angle of approach changes could make huge differences in impacts. The Slower Hurricane Dorian Moves, the More Dangerous It IsWhat makes Dorian different from other recent storms?Dorian is an extremely powerful hurricane. It has maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. In the Atlantic basin, there's only been one hurricane with stronger winds: Hurricane Allen in 1980. How does climate change, the warming ocean, affect hurricanes or specifically this one?In the area where Dorian underwent its strongest intensification, water temperatures were near average. It's just that waters near the Bahamas are super hot on average. Currently they're 85-88°F. Hurricanes live off of warm ocean hot water, and those kinds of temperatures are like jet fuel for hurricanes. Sea level rise is likely to exacerbate storm surge, since the background sea level will be higher. A warmer atmosphere means more rainfall, since a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor. Hurricanes may get a bit stronger (e.g., higher winds) in the future too, although there is a lot of uncertainty there. 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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| Student loans: Betsy DeVos rule change means college students must fight for loan forgiveness Posted: 03 Sep 2019 08:11 AM PDT  DeVos thought it was too easy under Obama for students to get loan forgiveness if a college closed or if their degree didn't prepare them for a job.
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| Five dead as mobs burn down shops in 'anti-foreigner' riots in Johannesburg Posted: 03 Sep 2019 10:46 AM PDT  The death toll from sweeping anti-immigrant riots in Johannesburg suburbs rose to five on Tuesday as police attempted to restore order with rubber bullets. Large sections of Africa's largest and wealthiest city were deserted as tens of thousands of workers, commuters and school children stayed home to avoid violence directed at 'foreigners' from other parts of Africa. Rocks, bricks and rubber bullets lay strewn across the empty streets of Alexandra after mobs plundered the township overnight, burning and looting shops in their path. Police presence remained heavy last night after officers fired rubber bullets to disperse the last of the crowds. Many shops owned by 'foreigners' were looted on a second night of urban rioting where hundreds of people marched through the streets on Monday in an unusually large expression of anti-foreigner sentiment. A group of Zulu men residing at the Jeppe Hostel shout and wave stick during a speech given by the Police Minister General Bheki Cele in JeppesTown Credit: GUILLEM SARTORIO/AFP Such violence breaks out sporadically in South Africa where many locals blame immigrants for high unemployment, particularly in manual labour. "They beat up everyone they could see, they didn't check to see who owned the shops, whether it was a foreigner or a South African shop," said a Zimbabwe carpenter who asked not to be named. Another migrant, reluctant to say where he came from, who lives in shabby Malvern suburb close to the city centre, said: "The people are going for Nigerians as they do drugs." At least five people died, according to authorities, and about 100 were arrested since the word went around last weekend that there would be a purge on migrants this week. At least two South Africans were killed on Tuesday in a small town south of Johannesburg. A foreign national, believed to be a Somalian shopkeeper, was arrested with an unlicensed gun, according to sources close to the South African police. President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday condemned the wave of xenophobic violence. Attacks on businesses run by "foreign nationals is something totally unacceptable, something that we cannot allow to happen in South Africa," Ramaphosa said in a video address diffused on Twitter. "I want it to stop immediately," said Ramaphosa, adding that there was "no justification" for the violence. President Cyril Ramaphosa said he went to the "hostels" to speak to people about the attacks. The word hostels implies to many South Africans that the people he spoke to were Zulus - who still live in impoverished ghettoes formed during South Africa's mining boom. "This violence is now mutating and taking different forms that represent themselves in a way that we do not want to see in South Africa, where communities seem to be attacking one another. We want this to stop immediately," he said. While most illegal foreigners are from African countries, such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Burundi, there is a steady flow of illegal nationals from Pakistan who mostly enter the country from Mozambique. South African truckers also started a nation-wide strike on Sunday to protest against the employment of foreign drivers. They staged road blockades and torched foreign-driven vehicles in various parts of the country on Monday. Police say about 200 long-haul drivers were injured or killed on the 350 mile highway between Johannesburg and port city Durban last year, while more than 2000 trucks were attacked. Bishop Paul Verryn, who allowed thousands of Zimbabwe refugees to live for more than five years in Johannesburg's Central Methodist Church, said he was approached by a group of foreign long-haul truck drivers last Saturday: "Somehow they knew violence was coming and came to tell me of their fears."
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| Mike Pence can't be 'anti-gay' because he was at a lunch with the Irish prime minister's boyfriend, White House spokesman says Posted: 03 Sep 2019 06:58 AM PDT  Mike Pence was at a lunch with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Dr. Michael Barrett in Dublin as part of the US vice president's visit to Ireland.
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| Joshua Wong urges Taiwanese to show support for Hong Kong Posted: 03 Sep 2019 08:19 AM PDT  Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong, a central figure in the territory's ongoing mass anti-Beijing protests, urged Taiwanese people on Tuesday to hold their own demonstrations as they face growing pressure from China. "We hope that before Communist China's National Day on Oct. 1, our friends in Taiwan can express their support for Hong Kong through street protests," Wong, 22, said at a news conference in Taipei.
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| View Photos of Aston Martin Vanquish 25 by Callum Posted: 02 Sep 2019 08:30 AM PDT |
| Syrian pound at record low on black market: report Posted: 03 Sep 2019 09:32 AM PDT  The value of the Syrian pound against the dollar has fallen sharply to its lowest rate in history, an economic publication said Tuesday. On the black market on Tuesday, the pound was trading at 650 against the dollar (715 to the euro). It's "the lowest in history", Jihad Yazigi, the editor-in-chief of the Syria Report economic publication, told AFP.
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| Trump's new Mexico envoy stirs hornet's nest with Frida Kahlo jab Posted: 03 Sep 2019 07:12 AM PDT  The new U.S. ambassador to Mexico has taken aim at Mexican icon Frida Kahlo for her support of Marxism, stirring up a fierce social media debate with a tweet asking if the painter had not been aware of atrocities committed in the name of that ideology. Few Mexicans have enjoyed greater global recognition than Kahlo, who spent long periods bedridden after a traffic accident in her youth, attained international fame following her death in 1954 and became a feminist symbol in the 1970s. U.S. Ambassador Christopher Landau, who was appointed by President Donald Trump and sworn in last month, must navigate a volatile bilateral relationship.
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| Customer pulls gun on Popeyes employees over chicken sandwiches, police say Posted: 03 Sep 2019 07:24 AM PDT  Police in Houston say a man pulled a gun on employees at a Popeyes restaurant after they ran out of their popular chicken sandwiches.
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