| U.S. authorities: 'Highly likely' Iran shot down Ukrainian passenger plane Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:48 AM PST  While details remain scant, U.S. authorities believe it's "highly likely" that an errant Iranian missile brought down the Ukrainian passenger jet that crashed outside Tehran, Iran, shortly after taking off on Wednesday.
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| Jimmy Kimmel Dunks on GOP Rep Who Tweeted Fake Obama-Iran Photo Posted: 07 Jan 2020 10:28 PM PST  The day after congressman Paul Gosar posted a fake photo of former President Barack Obama shaking hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Jimmy Kimmel had some harsh words for the Arizona Republican. "If you're not familiar with this guy, he's the congressman whose own siblings—his brothers and sisters—took out an attack ad against him during the midterms and endorsed his opponent," Kimmel said in his monologue Tuesday night. After showing the fake photo, which was accompanied by the caption, "The world is a better place without these guys in power," the host explained just how misleading it was. "Obama never met the guy," he said. "And the guy is still the president of Iran." Ronan Farrow Not 'Optimistic' About Harvey Weinstein Trial, Calls Out Manhattan DA Cyrus VanceStephen Colbert Blasts Trump's 'Tragically Ill-Conceived' Move Toward War With IranIn response to the many reporters and others on Twitter who pointed out the error, Gosar tweeted, "No one said this wasn't Photoshopped. No one said the president of Iran was dead. No one said Obama met with Rouhani in person.""Well, OK then!" Kimmel shot back "'No one said this wasn't Photoshopped?' Is that the standard now? You can post whatever you want and leave it to us to figure out if it's Photoshopped? Because if that's the case I have a photo of Paul Gosar being spanked by Jared from Subway that I would like a lot of people to see." Then Kimmel shared another "real photo" of President Donald Trump "happily shaking tiny hands with the guy who ordered the murder of a reporter for the Washington Post." He helpfully added, "That is not Photoshopped." 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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| Japanese man pleads not guilty to killing 19 due to mental health Posted: 07 Jan 2020 07:16 PM PST  A Japanese man accused of stabbing 19 disabled people to death pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in a dramatic trial session interrupted when he seemed to put something in his mouth, struggled with court officials and lay on the floor writhing. Satoshi Uematsu, 29, a former care home worker accused of killing 19 disabled people and wounding 26 in a care center in 2016 - one of post-war Japan's worst mass killings - was removed from the court and did not return when the trial resumed. Before the interruption, Uematsu's lawyer said Uematsu acknowledged details of the indictment were true, but he has a psychiatric disorder that led to diminished capacity at the time of the incident.
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| Devastating images of burned koalas and wallabies are emerging from Australia as 1 billion animals are feared dead Posted: 08 Jan 2020 07:57 PM PST  Despite rescue efforts, tens of thousands of koalas are feared dead on one island alone. Ecologists worry fires could wipe out endangered species.
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| UN Security Council declares commitment to 'international law' as tensions flare Posted: 09 Jan 2020 09:57 AM PST  The UN Security Council on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to "an international order based on international law" amid fears of armed conflict between the United States and Iran. The declaration was issued at the start of a debate on the UN Charter which had been tabled before the present crisis by Vietnam, a non-permanent member of the Security Council and which assumes the rotating presidency this month.
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| China Would Rather You Forget Their Losing a War Against Vietnam Posted: 08 Jan 2020 11:08 PM PST  In 1979 the PLA didn't live up to expectations.
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| Croatia Vows to Fight for EU Hopes of North Macedonia, Albania Posted: 09 Jan 2020 08:39 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.Croatia aims to revive the European Union membership prospects of North Macedonia and Albania over the coming four months by assuaging French objections to EU enlargement, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said.Plenkovic signaled that plans by the EU to revamp the method for evaluating aspiring members' readiness provide an opportunity to win over French President Emmanuel Macron by a May summit. Croatia took over the EU's six-month rotating presidency on Jan. 1."We'd like to find a solution unblocking the process with Albania and North Macedonia by the time of the Zagreb summit," Plenkovic told reporters Thursday. "We have a chance to strengthen our influence in Europe and we feel responsible for supporting the European path of our neighbors in the region."Macron crushed the longstanding hopes of the two Balkan countries to begin EU membership talks during the first half of 2020 by vetoing the timetable last October. He said the bloc needed to tighten its vetting of countries seeking EU accession to ensure adequate respect for the rule of law.The French move, supported by the Netherlands, exposed a rift with Germany and most other EU nations keen to dangle the promise of entry to safeguard political stability in the western Balkans, a politically volatile region. The stalemate led to the resignation earlier this month of North Macedonia's prime minister, Zoran Zaev, whose pro-EU credentials left him politically wounded by Macron's snub.The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, intends later this month to propose changes to the bloc's accession process. Plenkovic, who met Macron in Paris earlier this week to discuss the matter, sounded upbeat about the possibility of finding common ground.To contact the reporters on this story: Jasmina Kuzmanovic in Zagreb at jkuzmanovic@bloomberg.net;Jonathan Stearns in Zagreb at jstearns2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, ;Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey, Andras GergelyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iran under pressure to explain Tehran plane crash after 176 killed in Ukrainian jet disaster Posted: 08 Jan 2020 01:52 PM PST  Latest news: Iran launches missile attacks on US bases Criminal proceedings launched by Ukraine Pictured | Three Britons among 176 dead Iran plane crash, in pictures Iran is facing mounting pressure to explain the destruction of a civilian airliner near Tehran hours after Iranian forces launched missile strikes against US forces. Three Britons were among 176 people killed when an Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737 plunged into a nosedive and exploded shortly after take-off from Tehran's Imam Ayatollah Khomeini International Airport on Wednesday morning. Iran dismissed speculation that the aircraft had been downed by a missile but said it would not hand over the black boxes from the aircraft to Boeing, in an unusual move likely prompted by high tensions with the United States. Earlier Ukraine withdrew an initial statement attributing the crash to engine failure and ruling out a terror attack, sparking an international scramble to investigate the crash. The crash came three and a half hours after Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at US bases in Iraq in what it said was revenge for the assassination of general Qassim Soleimani. Iran's military said it had fired 22 missiles at Iraqi bases housing US troops in Erbil and Ain al-Asad. No US or Iraqi troops were killed in the half-hour bombardment. Leaders in both Tehran and Washington played down the prospect of further armed conflict between the adversaries. In a televised address Donald Trump claimed that Iran "appeared to be standing down" and said he would impose further economic sanctions, but did not mention further military action. Although Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, termed the strikes a "slap in the face" for America and vowed to continue a campaign to oust US forces from the region, the Iranian foreign minister, said the strikes "concluded" Iran's military response to the assassination of Soleimani. The Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737-800 bound for Kyiv took off shortly after 6 AM Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport early on Wednesday morning. Plane crash in pictures Footage filmed by a local man showed the aircraft trailing fire before it dived into the ground and exploded in a large fireball shortly after 6am local time. Din Mohammad Qassemi, a local villager watching the TV said he heard an almighty explosion. Assuming he was under attack from the Americans, he dived below ground into his basement. "All the houses started to shake. There was fire everywhere," said Mr Qassemi. "At first I thought (the Americans) have hit here with missiles and went in the basement as a shelter." Dead bodies, fragments of aircraft, and the victims personal belongings were discovered at the crash site near the village of Fedosiye, about 10 miles from the airport. The victims included 83 Iranians and 63 Canadians, according to a flight manifest released by UIA. Ten Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and eleven Ukrainians including the nine crew members were also killed. Flags were lowered to half mast in Ottawa and Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, issued a statement promising to work with allies to ensure a full investigation. Canada does not have an embassy in Tehran. The three British passport holders on board the flight included Saeed Tahmasebi, a chartered Engineer with Laing O'Rourke who was completing a PhD at Imperial College. No survivors reported as Ukrainian passenger jet crashes in Iran He was returning with his wife Niloofar Ebrahim, a fellow Iranian studying Psychology in London, from their wedding in Tehran. Sam Zokaei, 42, an engineer who worked for the BP Exploration Operating Company and lived in Richmond, had been on holiday and had been visiting relatives. Mohammed Reza Kadkhoda-Zadeh, a forty year old father of one from Brighton, had been in Iran to visit family over the Christmas break. Iranian media said both flight recorders had been found, but the investigation into the crash is likely to be complicated by the stand off between the United State and Iran. Ali Abedzadeh, the head of the Iranian civil aviation authority, said the government would not hand over the black boxes to Boeing, a US company, and that it was unclear which country would be asked to analyse them. Iran may have the ability to extract data from black boxes but would have to call on the expertise of one of a handful of countries, including the US, France, and Britain, if they are badly damaged. Western intelligence agencies quoted by Reuters said they shared Iran's initial assessment that the aircraft had not been hit by a missile. Iranian officials said the pilot lost control of the aircraft after a fire struck fire one of its engines. "The rumors about the plane are completely false and no military or political expert has confirmed it," said Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for the Iranian armed forces, But aviation experts last night queried whether the plane could have been destroyed by simple engine failure and friends and family of the three British victims demanded an investigation into the circumstances of the crash. David Learmount, Consulting Editor at FlightGlobal, told the Telegraph that the failure of the crew to send out a Mayday signal suggested they faced "a sudden and violent" event that forced them to fight for control of the aircraft. Qassim Soleimani drone strike | Read more "Even a catastrophic engine failure would be highly unlikely to have such a dramatic effect on control of the aircraft. A 737 is capable of flying safely on just one of its two engines," he said. Ukraine's embassy in Tehran initially posted but then deleted a statement attributing the crash to engine failure. Later Oleksiy Honcharuk, the Ukrainian prime minister, refused to rule out the possibility that it had been shot down at a briefing in Kyiv. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, said he had dispatched a team of experts including ministry of defence and civil aviation personnel to Iran to investigate the crash and repatriate the remains of the Ukrainians killed. "Our priority is to establish the truth and those responsible for this terrible catastrophe," he said. Boeing said: "We are in contact with our airline customer and stand by them in this difficult time. We are ready to assist in any way needed," the manufacturer said in a statement." UIA said that the 737-800 that was destroyed was one of its "best" and had undergone maintenance just two days earlier. It said that it could not believe that an error by the experienced crew could have caused the crash. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, said his government would "continue to work closely with its international partners to ensure that this crash is thoroughly investigated and Canadians' questions are answered." Mr Pompeo said the United States would offer Ukraine full support to complete the investigation. Boris Johnson last night called Mr Trudeau to express his condolences for the loss of Canadian lives. A Downing Street spokesman said the UK was "working closely with the Ukrainian authorities and the Iranian authorities" over the crash but that there was "no indication" that it had been hit by a missile. The loss of an airliner during a period of international conflict raises bitter memories for both Ukraine and Iran. In 2014 a Russian missile shot down a Malaysian airlines flight over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people. In 1988 an American warship shot down an Iranian passenger jet, killing 290 people. The shootdown of Iran Air 655 is still bitterly felt in Iran. Earlier this week Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran, said Donald Trump should "remember the number 290." 6:04PM Crash one of worst losses of life for Canadians in an aviation disaster At least 63 Canadians were killed in the crash, but Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said the number of deceased Canadians could change as more information becomes available, including details on dual citizens. The crash is one of the worst losses of life for Canadians in an aviation disaster. Many passengers on board were international students as the Tehran to Toronto route via Kyiv is considered affordable. Payman Paseyan, a member of the Iranian-Canadian community in Edmonton, Alberta, said about 27 people from Edmonton, including international students and a family of four that he knew, were on the flight. Two professors from the University of Alberta, Pedram Mousavibafrooei and Mojgan Daneshmand, and their daughters died. Ukrainian plane crash victims Mr Paseyan said most of victims were visiting family in Iran over the holidays. He said many were dual citizens and international students. "One of the reasons why you take that flight is you wouldn't want to take a flight that has a connection in the United States because international students can't do that," he said. The University of Guelph in Canada said two PhD students, as well as the partner of one of the students, were among the 176 who died. Ghanimat Azhdari was a student in the department of geography and Milad Ghasemi was a student in marketing. Azhdari's partner, Hamed Alibeiki, also died. Western University said four of their students died. Three were current graduate students and one was an incoming graduate student. They did not name the students. Canada is urging Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to Iran due to the volatile security situation. 5:24PM Dominic Raab offers condolences after 'tragic loss of life' Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab offered his condolences to those affected by the crash. He said on Twitter: "I would like to express the UK's deepest condolences to all the families of the victims of the UIA crash in Iran today. "This is a tragic loss of life for all countries affected. Foreign Office staff are assisting the families of British victims at this difficult time." I would like to express the UK's deepest condolences to all the families of the victims of the UIA crash in Iran today. This is a tragic loss of life for all countries affected. @foreignoffice staff are assisting the families of British victims at this difficult time— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) January 8, 2020 Meanwhile, a Downing Street spokesman said the UK was "working closely with the Ukrainian authorities and the Iranian authorities" over the crash. The spokesman said there was "no indication" the plane was brought down by a missile, after the Ukrainian authorities refused to rule out the prospect. 5:10PM Crew's inability to transmit emergency call before crash confuses aviation experts Aviation expert David Learmount has said the crew's failure – or inability - to communicate has confused aviation experts, "because the implication is that whatever happened was sudden and violent, forcing the crew immediately to fight for control". The crew of the Boeing 737-800 did not have the capacity to transmit an emergency call before it descended out of control to impact on the edge of the city. Mr Learmount said: "Even a catastrophic engine failure – a possibility originally mooted by the Ukrainian authorities but then withdrawn – would be highly unlikely to have such a dramatic effect on control of the aircraft. A 737 is capable of flying safely on just one of its two engines. "Video released online soon after the accident shows what looks like an aircraft engulfed in flames descending unsteady, parts separating from it as it plunged. "This video has not yet been authenticated, but if it does indeed show the Ukrainian 737 in its fatal descent, it explains why the Ukrainian authorities, asked whether the aircraft might have been brought down by a missile, have refused to rule it out." 4:50PM Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calls for 'complete cooperation' in investigations into crash Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, has called for "complete cooperation" in any investigation into the cause of the crash. He said in a statement: "The U.S. Department of State extends our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the 176 passengers and crew killed in the tragic crash of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS 752. "The United States will continue to follow this incident closely and stands prepared to offer Ukraine all possible assistance. The United States calls for complete cooperation with any investigation into the cause of the crash." 4:43PM Trump: Britain and others must withdraw from Iran deal President Trump did not comment directly on the Tehran plane crash, focusing instead on the 22 missiles fired at US forces in Iraq on Wednesday night. Flanked by senior administration officials, Mr Trump doubled down on his decision to assassinate Iranian general Qassim Soleimani, saying the attack sent "a powerful message to potential terrorists". Mr Trump called on Britain and other European countries to withdraw from the Iran deal, as the US has already done. He added that more sanctions are set to hit Iran, but that he does not want to use military force against Iran unless necessary. Trump said he would ask Nato to get "much more involved" in the Middle East peace process. You can read more on our missile attack live blog here. 4:28PM President Trump speaks publicly for first time following crash The President has begun his press conference and is joined by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 4:22PM Ukraine to send team of experts to Iran to 'establish the truth' President Trump is currently 20 minutes behind schedule to make his televised address. Meanwhile, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the country will send a team of experts to Iran in order to "establish the truth" surrounding the catastrophe. Ukraine will send security officials, experts and rescuers to assist in the investigation and recovery of the bodies of Ukrainian nationals from the wreckage of flight PS752. In a statement on the presidential website, Mr Zelenskyy said: "Our priority is to establish the truth and those responsible for this terrible catastrophe." 3:56PM President Trump to make imminent statement on Iran crisis President Donald Trump will address escalating tension with Iran in a press conference at 11am EST (4pm GMT). It it thought that Mr Trump will comment on the Tehran plane crash. Watch the President's address at the top of this article. 3:42PM Canada's questions will be answered, says Justin Trudeau Justin Trudeau, Canada's Prime Minister, has said that his nation's questions will be answered after it was confirmed 63 citizens had been killed in the plane crash. BREAKING: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issues statement on the plane crash that killed 63 Canadians. cdnpolipic.twitter.com/RpqpXEztlb— Michel Boyer (@BoyerMichel) January 8, 2020 His Minister of Foreign Affairs François-Philippe Champagne also paid tribute. Tragic news regarding Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. Our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims, including many Canadians. I have been in touch with the government of Ukraine. We will continue to keep Canadians informed as the situation evolves. PS752— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) ���� (@FP_Champagne) January 8, 2020 3:35PM 'Not a chance of crew error,' airline says In an updated statement, Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) said: "According to our records, the aircraft ascended as high as 2,400 metres. "Given the crew's experience, error probability is minimal. We do not even consider such a chance." 3:17PM Tributes to 'lovely man with lovely smile' Staff at a pet store have paid tribute to Mohammed Reza Kadkhoda-Zadeh, who ran a neighbouring dry cleaners and was one of the three Britons killed in a plane crash in Iran. Staff at Hassocks Pet Centre, West Sussex, paid tribute to "a lovely man [with] a lovely smile". Mohammad Zadeh Store owner Stephen Edgington, 68, said: "Reza was a lovely guy. He was good looking, sociable. "Before he left we were chatting and he said 'do you realise I have been here so many years?'." Mr Edgington, who works at the store with his wife Nola, said they were told what had happened on Wednesday morning by Mr Kadkhoda-Zadeh's staff. 3:00PM Reservoir engineer one of three Britons killed BP has confirmed one of those killed in the Tehran plane crash as reservoir engineer Sam Zokaei, who has worked at the oil company for more than 14 years. Mr Zokaei, from Twickenham, London, was on holiday from working at BP's site at Sunbury-on-Thames in Middlesex. Sam Zokaei The company said in a statement: "With the deepest regret, we can confirm that one of our colleagues at BP, Sam Zokaei, was a passenger on the Ukrainian International Airlines plane that crashed in Iran this morning, reportedly with no survivors. "We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss of our friend and colleague, and all of our thoughts are with his family and friends." 2:57PM Briton killed was 'brilliant engineer with bright future' Saeed Tahmasebi Khademasadi was one of the three Britons killed. A spokesman for Imperial College London, where Engineer he was a post-graduate researcher, said: "We are deeply saddened at this tragic news. "Saeed Tahmasebi Khademasadi was a brilliant engineer with a bright future. Saeed Tahmasebi "His contributions to systems engineering earned respect from everyone who dealt with him and will benefit society for years to come. "He was a warm, humble and generous colleague, and close friend to many in our community. "Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with Saeed's family, friends and colleagues, as well as all those affected by this tragedy." 1:29PM British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Qantas among slew of airlines avoiding Middle East airspace British Airways rerouted flight 134 from Mumbai to Heathrow mid-way through the flight, to avoid crossing Iraqi airspace. The plane flew in a circle and was then diverted to the Greek capital Athens for refuelling. The move has left a number of Indian passport holders stuck in the terminal as they do not possess the right visa to leave the airport. A number of commercial airlines have rerouted flights to avoid possible danger amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. Airspace above Iran and Iraq at 11:00 UTC time Live map: https://t.co/PbnsBqTxDUpic.twitter.com/TxjqYKZ69r— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 8, 2020 Virgin Atlantic said they were "closely monitoring the situation" and were not flying over Iranian airspace. Due to changes in flight routing, their trips to and from Mumbai might now take longer than expected. Australian carrier Qantas said it was altering its London to Perth, Australia routes to avoid Iran and Iraq airspace until further notice. Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines have also rerouted planes to avoid Iranian airspace. The US Federal Aviation Administration has barred American pilots and carriers from flying in areas of Iraqi, Iranian and some Persian Gulf airspace. 1:23PM Iran plane crash analysis: What happened mid-air and who has the black box? Our Industry Editor Alan Tovey has this piece of analysis on the doomed flight. In it, he looks at what happened during the last seconds of the Ukrainian International Airlines flight from Tehran to Kyiv, the reaction and what happens now. Read it in full here. 1:06PM Three Britons killed in Tehran plane crash named The three Britons killed in a plane crash in Tehran have been unofficially identified as Mohammad Reza Kadkhoda Zadeh, 40, Saeed Tahmasebi Khademsadi, 35, and Sam Zokaei, also 35. Read Chief Reporter Robert Mendick's piece on the victims here. 12:41PM At a glance: The Boeing 737-800 The first thing to note about the crash of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 is that the aircraft was a Boeing 737-800, a different model to the 737 Max, the type which was grounded last year after two crashes in five months, reports Industry Editor Alan Tovey. The 737-800 - part of Boeing's 737 Next Generation (NG) family - does not have the "MCAS" control system fitted to the Max, and which is blamed for the two crashes. A modernised version of the 737 classic model dating from the 1960s, 737 NGs are one of the most popular airliners ever. More than 7,000 737 NGs, of which about 5,000 are the 800 model, are in service and the aircraft has a very good safety record. Prior to PS752, there had been nine accidents involving the aircraft type which have resulted in fatalities. A Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 airplane taxis in front of the tower Credit: REX One was the result of a mid-air collision, and all but one of the rest have been attributed to either weather problems, pilot error, maintenance issues or a combination of these factors. The final incident saw an engine failure which sent debris into the cabin, causing the aircraft to decompress. A passenger was partially sucked from the aircraft and later died from her injuries. Overall, the 737 NG has a fatal crash rate of 0.06 fatalities per million flights according to data from Airsafe, making it one of the safest aircraft in service. However, the 737 NG has not been without problems. In September Boeing ordered all 737 NGs with more than 30,000 flights to be checked after cracks were discovered in the "pickle fork" of a jet undergoing maintenance. This component is one of the main attachment points for the wing and fuselage and should have a life of about 90,000 flights. Boeing said that about 5pc of the affected aircraft needed repairs. 12:23PM Boris Johnson calls for de-escalation of Middle East crisis Boris Johnson said he opposed any further escalation of violence and told MPs: "As far as we can tell there were no casualties last night sustained by the US and no British personnel were injured in the attacks. "We are doing everything we can to protect UK interests in the region, with HMS Defender and HMS Montrose operating in an enhanced state of readiness to protect shipping in the Gulf." Mr Johnson said General Soleimani had the "blood of British troops on his hands". Answering a question from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn about the legality of the drone strike that killed the Iranian general, the PM said the US had the right to defend its bases. "Clearly the strict issue of legality is not for the UK to determine since it was not our operation," said the PM. "But I think most reasonable people would accept that the United States has the right to protect its bases and its personnel." The PM said Gen Soleimani had supplied "improvised explosive devices to terrorists, which I'm afraid killed and maimed British troops". He added: "That man had the blood of British troops on his hands." Follow the first Prime Minister's Questions of the decade here. 11:18AM Ukrainian Prime Minister refuses to rule out plane was hit by missile Asked at a briefing in Kyiv if the plane could have been downed by a missile, Ukraine's Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk cautioned against speculation until the results of an investigation were known. The timing of the crash has led to speculation it could have been linked to the offensive that saw rockets from Iran striking US targets overnight, hitting two Iraqi airbases where American and coalition forces are based. No survivors reported as Ukrainian passenger jet crashes in Iran The Iraqi military said it recorded a half hour bombardment between 1.45am and 2.15am local time (10.45am - 11.15am GMT). The Ukraine Airlines 737 crashed at 6.15am local time in Tehran (2.45am GMT), at more than three hours after the last Iranian ballistic missile barrage ended. 11:16AM Recap: What happened in the air seconds before crash? Qassem Biniaz, a spokesman for Iran's Road and Transportation Ministry, said it appeared a fire struck one of its engines. The pilot of the aircraft then lost control of the plane, sending it crashing into the ground, Biniaz said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. Hassan Razaeifar, the head of air crash investigation committee, said it appeared the pilot couldn't communicate with air-traffic controllers in Tehran in the last moments of the flight. He did not elaborate. Authorities later said they found the plane's so-called "black boxes," which record cockpit conversations and instrument data. "The only thing that the pilot managed to do was steer the plane towards a soccer field near here instead of a residential area back there," witness Aref Geravand said. "It crashed near the field and in a water canal." 10:54AM Iran refuses to hand over black box from Ukrainian plane Iran's aviation authority said it would not hand over to Americans the recovered black boxes of a Boeing 737 that crashed Wednesday, killing all 176 passengers and crew. "We will not give the black boxes to the manufacturer (Boeing) and the Americans," Iran Civil Aviation Organisation head Ali Abedzadeh said, quoted by Mehr news agency. 10:39AM Met Police 'extremely alert' to impact of wider Middle East crisis Police in the UK are monitoring the wider crisis in Iran and are "extremely alert" to any effect it may have on home soil, the country's most senior officer has said. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick told LBC that head of UK counter-terror policing Neil Basu has been in discussions with the security agencies and government bodies about the crisis. She told host Nick Ferrari: "It's a very worrying time clearly and we have lots of people of Iranian and Iraqi heritage and the surrounding areas in London, so there's lots for us to think about, lots for us to be alert to. "What I can say is so far in London we have had no issues directly associated with this, there was one quite small protest. "But of course we're extremely alert to what this could possibly lead to, but it's a very complex situation. At the moment there's absolutely no impact on London." Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick is live in the LBC studio, answering questions from listeners. Watch it live. https://t.co/wnxGmCvjCs— LBC (@LBC) January 8, 2020 Dame Cressida, herself a former chief of counter-terrorism policing, said the force is "very adept" at measuring possible domestic threats linked to international events. "Being the international city that we are, with the multiplicity of communities and also the threats that we have had to face over the years which change and morph all the time, we are very, very adept at seeing what's happening around the world, reaching out into communities and looking at the possible threats and risks that might come," she said. "That's what we're doing on a day by day basis, and in response to this." The UK's terror threat level remains at substantial, meaning an attack is likely. 10:04AM Foreign Office 'deeply saddened' by loss of life in Iran plane crash The Foreign Office has issued a statement on the Iran plane crash. BREAKING | Foreign Office "deeply saddened" by Iran plane crash and "urgently seeking confirmation about how many British nationals were on board". Full statement here: pic.twitter.com/Q4Curn1yGg— Gareth Davies (@GD10) January 8, 2020 10:01AM Chinese airline becomes latest to avoid Iran China Southern - a Chinese airline - has cancelled an Urumqi to Tehran flight which was scheduled to depart on Wednesday. 9:35AM Map of where the plane came down Flight data from the airport showed a Ukrainian 737-800 flown by Ukraine International Airlines took off on Wednesday morning, then stopped sending data about eight minutes later, according to tracking website FlightRadar24. Here is a look at where the plane came down in relation to the the airport and its scheduled destination - Kyiv. AFP map and details of the path of Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS-752 which crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran @AFPgraphicspic.twitter.com/D72x9iVhpk— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 8, 2020 It also tracks the plane's altitude up to the moment it disappeared from the radar. 9:20AM Ukraine withdraws statement ruling out terror or rocket attack Having initially said the plane crash was due to engine failure and not foul play, there is now a new statement on the Ukrainian embassy website. It reads: "A commission is working to clarify the causes of the plane crash. Any statements regarding the causes of the accident prior to the findings of the commission are not official." The earlier line ruling out terrorism or a rocket attack as possible causes have been removed. 9:17AM Russia warns against 'rushed theories' on crash Russia has offered its condolences and warned against "rushed theories" about the cause of the crash, Theo Merz reports. Senator Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote on Facebook: "A terrible crash of a Ukrainian airliner in Tehran. It looks like no one survived. Was it a technical malfunction? A mistake of the crew? A terror attack? Only an investigation will show and one must refrain from any rushed theories." He said the Russian embassy was working to clarify if there were any of its citizens on board. "I would like to offer sincere condolences to all the families and loved ones of the deceased, whatever their nationality. We share the Ukrainian people's grief." MP Leonid Slutskiy said on his Telegram messaging channel: "The reasons of the crash are yet to be assessed. The tragedy must not be used for political purposes - sinking to the level of groundless accusations against Tehran or anti-Iranian rhetoric." 9:00AM Ukrainian President instructs prosecutors to open criminal proceedings Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, said his government was working to understand the causes of the crash. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Credit: Sergei Chuzavkov/AFP He has cut short a trip to Oman and returning to Kyiv and instructed Ukraine's prosecutors to open criminal proceedings over the crash. Mr Zelenskyy, in a statement on the president's website, said he had ordered the Prosecutor General of Ukraine to open criminal proceedings over the UIA plane crash in Tehran. He said: "An investigation commission should be set up of representatives of the civil and aviation agencies responsible for civil aviation. We have to work out all the possible versions. "Regardless of the conclusions regarding the causes of the Iranian catastrophe, the airworthiness of the entire civilian fleet will be tested. "I keep all measures on personal control. I very much ask everyone to refrain from speculation and putting forward untested versions of the disaster before the official announcements." 8:40AM Russia suspends flights over Iran and Iraq As the tension in the Middle East heightens, Moscow has called off any flights that use the airspace over Iran and Iraq. A telegram from the Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency said: "In connection with the information on the existing risks to the security of international flights of civil aircraft before the subsequent notification, the Federal Air Transport Agency recommends not using the airspace over the territories of Iran, Iraq, the Persian and Oman gulfs for flights of civil aircraft of the Russian Federation, including transit flights." Air France has also suspended flights over the region. 8:38AM 'Nothing wrong with plane', says Ukrainian airline Ukrainian International Airlines(UIA) has appeared to bite back at claims its plane came down because of engine failure. The airline said there was "nothing wrong" with its plane. A Boeing 737-3E7 from Ukraine International Airlines lands in 2017 Credit: Jack Guez/AFP It is understood the plane that crashed just outside the Iranian capital last passed a planned technical service just two days ago on Jan 6. President of UIA Yevgeny Dykhne told a press briefing: "The aircraft was in good condition... We guarantee the serviceability of our aircraft and the high qualification of our crews" 8:23AM Kyiv confirms British citizens were on board flight The Ukrainian Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko has revealed the nationalities of those on board. He said Kyiv is aware of the "following information on the countries of origin of those killed in the crash". Наразі нам відома наступна інформація щодо країн походження загиблих в катастрофі PS752: Іран - 82; Канада - 63; Україна - 2 + 9(екіпаж); Швеція - 10; Афганістан - 4; ФРН - 3; Велика Британія - 3. Висловлюємо наші співчуття. Українська влада продовжує розслідування.— Vadym Prystaiko (@VPrystaiko) January 8, 2020 Iran - 82 Canada - 63 Ukraine - 2 + 9 (crew) Sweden - 10 Afghanistan - 4 Germany - 3 United Kingdom - 3 8:13AM Flights to Tehran 'suspended indefinitely' by Ukrainian airline Ukraine International Airlines has suspended flights to Tehran indefinitely, according to Reuters. 7:59AM Boeing 'aware of media reports' Boeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the company was aware of media reports of a plane crash in Iran and was gathering more information. 7:48AM Three British citizens on board, says local media A local media outlet in the Ukraine claims there were British citizens on board. Obozrevatel, a popular news website in the country, said there were also 71 Canadians on board, quoting sources. Ukrainian citizens - 15 Iranian citizens - 71 Canadian citizens - 73 German citizens - 4 UK citizens - 3 Swedish citizens - 8 Afghan citizens - 6 The Foreign Office was not immediately available for comment and the figures from Obozrevatel have not been confirmed. But the Ukraine Security Council said there were 11 Ukrainians on board, including nine crew, according to Reuters. 7:41AM Iran plane crash, in pictures Debris is seen from the plane crash on the outskirts of Tehran Credit: Mohammad Nasiri/AP An aerial view of the crash site Credit: Rohhollah Vadati/AFP A side panel from the aircraft in a ditch Credit: AFP 7:31AM Special flights on standby to take bodies back to Ukraine The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has special flights are on standby to take bodies back to Kyiv. The planes will need permission from Iran. 7:28AM What we know so far Boeing 737 crashed eight minutes after taking off All 176 aboard killed, 167 passengers and nine crew Plane appeared to be on fire before it hit the ground Engine failure to blame, says Ukraine 7:27AM Video: 'Plane falls from the sky' Ali Hashem, a BBC correspondent, tweeted a video which he claimed showed the plane falling through the air while aflame before crashing into the ground and exploding. Breaking First footage of the Ukrainian airplane while on fire falling near Tehranpic.twitter.com/kGxnBb7f1q— Ali Hashem علي هاشم (@alihashem_tv) January 8, 2020 6:54AM What type of plane was it? The plane that came down this morning was a Boeing 737-800. This is similar to but not the same as the 737 Max 8 aircraft, which has been grounded since two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that have brought huge scrutiny to Boeing. The 737-800 uses a different software system to that of the Max 8. The Ukraine International Airlines jet that crashed this morning was believed to be less than four years old. Boeing's 737 Max 8 is grounded following fatal crashes Credit: Lindsey Wasson/Reuters The airline has not yet made a statement. 6:27AM Rescuers sift through wreckage Iranian officials and emergency crews are at the crash site in Tehran, investigating the cause of the crash earlier this morning. The plane crashed about eight minutes after taking off Credit: Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA 6:18AM 'Impossible that anyone survived' The head of Iran's Red Crescent has said they do not expect survivors at the crash site. "Obviously it is impossible that passengers" on flight PS-752 are alive, he told Iranian state news. 6:06AM '176 people' on board Iranian state TV news are claiming that the flight had 176 people on board - 167 passengers and nine crew. 5:50AM All passengers dead - Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, has confirmed that all 170 passengers aboard the Boeing 737 in Tehran have been killed. He offered condolences to the families of the victims and said his government was working to understand the causes of the crash.
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| Mexican man kills self on border bridge Posted: 09 Jan 2020 09:07 AM PST |
| Poll: 55 percent of Americans think Trump killing Soleimani made the U.S. less safe Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:39 AM PST  A majority of Americans don't seem to be buying the Trump administration's rationale for killing Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleiman, according to a new poll.In a USA TODAY/Ipsos poll released Thursday, 55 percent of U.S. adults said the United States' recent drone strike that killed Soleimani and its immediate aftermath made the country less safe.The administration has contended the opposite in the days since the strike. Vice President Mike Pence, for example, told Today in an interview Thursday that "America is safer" as a result of Trump's decision.But only 24 percent of Americans in this poll said the strike made the country safer, and almost a third of Republicans said the strike made the U.S. less safe. Even so, 42 percent of Americans still supported the Soleimani strike, while 33 percent opposed it and 25 percent didn't know what to think about it.Fifty-two percent of those surveyed also described Trump's behavior with Iran as "reckless," while 62 percent said the strike that killed Soleimani made it more likely that the United States and Iran will go to war. Forty-seven percent said they believe Trump authorized the bombing to distract from impeachment.USA Today's poll was taken by surveying 1,005 adults online on Jan. 7 and Jan. 8, and it was completed prior to Trump's recent address. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points. Read the full results at USA Today.More stories from theweek.com The world is abandoning America 37 TV shows to watch in 2020 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's Iran mess
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| 11 Bathroom Seating Options Beyond the Toilet Posted: 09 Jan 2020 05:00 AM PST |
| Five maximum security prison officers attacked, UK counter-terrorism police investigate Posted: 09 Jan 2020 01:32 PM PST |
| Furore after top Bollywood star attends student demo Posted: 08 Jan 2020 03:42 AM PST  One of Bollywood's top stars sparked a social media storm on Wednesday, attracting admiration and vitriol after showing solidarity with students who were attacked at a Indian university this week. Indian film stars have traditionally shied away from politics, fearing their films could be boycotted or their safety threatened. The protest came two days after masked attackers went on a rampage inside the campus of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), leaving 34 students and faculty members injured.
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| Even the Russians Think The U.S. Navy Would Defeat the Chinese Posted: 08 Jan 2020 11:47 AM PST  Konstantin Sivkov, a member of the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences, says superior U.S. reconaissance would give it the defining advantage.
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| Relax: The Pentagon Isn't Drafting You for WWIII by Text Posted: 08 Jan 2020 02:48 PM PST  This is what an actual modern draft would look like.
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| Fox News’ Pete Hegseth: We Need to ‘Rewrite the Rules’ of War in Dealing With Iran Posted: 08 Jan 2020 08:15 AM PST  The morning after Iran launched missile attacks against several Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops, Fox News host Pete Hegseth suggested the U.S. may need to "rewrite the rules" of war in engaging Iran. And that might include bombing cultural sites and hospitals, he said.Hegseth, an outside adviser to President Donald Trump who pushed him to pardon accused and convicted war criminals, reiterated his recent calls for targeting Iran's infrastructure and oil refineries during a Wednesday morning appearance on Fox & Friends."I happen to believe that we can't kick the can down the road any longer in trying to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb," Hegseth declared. "They used the killing of [Qassem] Soleimani as an excuse to say, 'we're scrapping the Iran deal.'""We all know they were scrapping it anyway, so what better time than now to say, we're starting the clock, you've got a week, you've got X amount of time before we start taking out your energy production facilities," he added. "We take out key infrastructure. We take out your missile sites. We take out nuclear developments."Co-host Ainsley Earhardt, meanwhile, brought up Trump's recent threat to hit 52 Iranian targets, including cultural sites, should Iran retaliate following the assassination of Soleimani. "But what do you know about these cultural sites," she wondered. "Because we're not supposed to be hitting cultural sites, but I understand, I've been hearing that we believe that the Iranians are hiding missiles and weapons in some of these cultural sites, churches, or mosques.""Of course they do. This is what Islamists do," the Iraq War veteran exclaimed. "It's what they've done in the battlefield against folks like me and my entire generation. Human shields, using mosques, using, you know, hospitals, schools. This is what our enemies do."He continued: "Now, that doesn't mean we go on and target cultural sites. But what it means is we are clear-eyed about how our enemies use the rules that we write against us."After claiming that the rules of war are "rigged to help them so that we can't win," Hegseth then declared that "we need to rewrite the rules that are advantageous to us.""I don't want to hit cultural sites on purpose," he concluded, "but if you're using one to harbor your most dangerous weapons, then that should be on the target list, too."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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| Teen grateful to be alive after 30 hours in Utah mountains Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:13 AM PST  A California teenager who survived nearly 30 hours alone in the snowy Utah mountains said Wednesday he kept himself awake with phone alarms, built a snow cave for shelter and held a special beaded bracelet to keep his hopes up. Nicolas Stacy-Alcantara, 17, of Fresno, was visiting Utah to see an ex-girlfriend and decided to go for a day-long hike in relatively mild weather last week, he said. The teen took an Uber up a canyon east of Salt Lake City, bringing six peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and 40 ounces of water with him.
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| Spy scandal rocks Taiwan ahead of weekend elections Posted: 09 Jan 2020 06:27 AM PST  Allegations in the Australian media that a Chinese spy was pressured to smear the Taiwanese ruling party with bribery charges has prompted accusations of meddling in the Taiwanese election. The island of 23 million is already on high alert for any signs of Chinese interference in its presidential and legislative polls on Saturday, amid mounting fears of targeted disinformation campaigns to undermine Tsai Ing-wen, the incumbent president who Beijing deeply mistrusts. China denies trying to do so. In the latest allegations of dirty tricks, reported in The Age, Wang Liqiang, a self-confessed Chinese intelligence operative seeking to defect to Australia, was warned in December that he could be sent back to China and killed if he did not publicly recant his story. In November, Mr Wang sparked an international furore by claiming that he had worked for a Beijing-directed operation to target independence and democracy movements in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and to promote Communist Party influence. Beijing immediately dismissed his story and said he was a convicted criminal, and Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), whom Wang said Beijing was supporting, has strongly denounced the claims, as has Han Kuo-yu, its presidential candidate. Supporters of Han Kuo-Yu, presidential candidate for Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party Credit: SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images The KMT favours stronger trade ties with China although it maintains it will not do so at the cost of Taiwanese sovereignty. The island, which China claims as its own territory and threatens to annex, functions as a de facto independent nation. However, the Australian Security Intelligence Operation issued an earlier rare statement to say it took the claims of foreign interference seriously. Security agencies later uncovered a list of threats against Mr Wang on Christmas Eve, the Age reported. He was allegedly asked to recant his accusations by Alex Tsai, a senior KMT official, and directly threatened by a Chinese businessman. He was reportedly told that his family would be spared punishment if he backtracked on his spy claims. It is also claimed he was provided with a script and told to record a video message in which he would falsely claim that Taiwan's governing Democratic Progressive Party had bribed him to lie with "a large sum of money." Wang Liqiang is seeking asylum in Australia, where he has offered a trove of secrets about Chinese political interference Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Alex Tsai, the KMT official named in the story, confirmed he had spoken to Mr Wang, but denied threatening him or offering inducements. "It has nothing to do with Taiwan's elections," he stressed. "Wang Liqiang is not a spy. That is sure," he said, claiming that he had contacted Mr Wang to negotiate to clear the name of a Chinese businessman he had implicated in his espionage accusations. "Both are not Communist spies. Some people say that they're spies working to infiltrate Taiwan, but they've got the wrong person. It's a serious violation of human rights," he said. The DPP, which has repeatedly warned throughout the election campaign that China wants to impose authoritarian rule on Taiwan, expressed shock over the controversy and accused Mr Tsai of not revealing the whole truth. "This is an international scandal," Kuan Bi-ling, a DPP legislator said. In Australia, the federal police force told local media that it was "aware of threats made against a man currently residing in Australia." A spokesman added: "The AFP takes threats of this nature seriously and has commenced an investigation."
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| Ask the Captain: What goes into landing a plane on an icy, slippery runway? Posted: 09 Jan 2020 04:00 AM PST  Though landing in icy conditions is challenging, it can be done safely, says aviation columnist John Cox. Here's how pilots manage to land safely.
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| Japan Fires Back at Ghosn, Stoking War of Words Over Trial Posted: 09 Jan 2020 04:32 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Japan battled to restore its image on Thursday after former auto executive Carlos Ghosn blasted the country's legal system in a marathon press conference following his escape to Lebanon.Justice Minister Masako Mori held an unusual briefing in the early morning hours in Tokyo, and then gave a second press conference later on to rebut what she said were mostly "abstract, unclear or baseless" criticisms of the country's legal system. She was scathing in her descriptions of Ghosn's behavior after he told the world he skipped bail and fled Japan because he didn't think he would get a fair trial."He has been propagating both within Japan and internationally false information on Japan's legal system and its practice," Mori said in her first briefing. "That is absolutely intolerable."Ghosn, the former head of Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA, used the first press conference since his dramatic escape to blast what he called "hostage justice." Speaking in four languages, he offered a point-by-point rebuttal of the charges against him and accused Japanese prosecutors, government officials and Nissan executives of conspiring to topple him to prevent a further integration of the Japanese carmaker with Renault.In response to Ghosn's assertion that Japan breached his human rights by preventing him from seeing his wife, Mori said such measures were only used in cases of a flight risk or when there was a danger of evidence being concealed or destroyed. Mori also lauded Japan's police, judges and prosecutors for building what she said was the "safest country in the world."Mori said she was aware of criticism of Japan's criminal justice system, and said authorities are taking steps to improve it. "It is my strong hope that he engage in all possible efforts to make his case within Japan's fair criminal justice proceedings, and that he seek justice rendered by a Japanese court," Mori said.The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, which rarely makes any public comment, posted an English statement on its website saying Ghosn had only himself to blame for his strict bail conditions. It vowed to try to bring him to justice in Japan. At a regular scheduled briefing Thursday, Tokyo Deputy Chief Prosecutor Takahiro Saito pushed back against many of Ghosn's complaints about the "inhumane" conditions of his confinement."Ghosn gave the impression he was questioned for a total of eight hours a day, but that's not true," Saito said. The former CEO was questioned on 70 of the days he spent in jail, about half the total, with each session lasting an average of four hours, he said. He met with his legal counsel "almost every day" he was there, altogether more than 120 times, Saito said.Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also piled in, calling Ghosn's comments one-sided and not persuasive.Striking BackAt his news conference in Beirut, Ghosn refrained from accusing specific people in the Japanese government of any wrongdoing, citing the need to avoid creating friction between Lebanon and Japan. He also said he didn't think Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was involved.Abe has avoided making any public comments about Ghosn. Kyodo News reported on Wednesday that he told a party lawmaker at a dinner in Tokyo ahead of Ghosn's news conference that he had wanted the situation "to be sorted out within Nissan in the first place."The head of a foreign policy panel in Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party accused Ghosn of spreading "fake news.""We have our dignity as a country, and we need to have people understand that we have a proper legal system that doesn't ignore human rights at all," said Yasuhide Nakayama, who is also a former vice foreign minister.Abe's government has sought cooperation from Lebanon to bring Ghosn back but Japan doesn't have an extradition treaty with the country. Lebanese President Michel Aoun pledged to work on the issue in a meeting Tuesday with Japan's ambassador in Beirut, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement.Lebanon's prosecutor issued a travel ban for Ghosn after questioning him Thursday on two cases, including the allegations of financial misconduct included in an Interpol red notice that police received this week, according to the state-run National News Agency. Ghosn also gave testimony on a lawsuit filed locally that he entered Israel in 2008, a criminal offense in the country. Lebanon and Israel are technically in a state of war.The restriction on international travel is in line with legal practice in Lebanon. Ghosn said at the briefing Wednesday that he wanted to clear his name and would stand trial "in any country where I believe I can receive a fair trial."(Updates with Lebanon testimony, travel ban in final paragraphs)\--With assistance from Kae Inoue, Tsuyoshi Inajima, Emi Nobuhiro, Sophie Jackman and Dana Khraiche.To contact the reporters on this story: Tsuyoshi Inajima in Tokyo at tinajima@bloomberg.net;Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo at ireynolds1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Emma O'Brien at eobrien6@bloomberg.net, ;Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Reed Stevenson, Gearoid ReidyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| How the U.S. Assassinated The Man Responsible for Pearl Harbor Posted: 08 Jan 2020 07:30 PM PST  Admiral Yamamoto's death in 1943 was a major turning point in the war in the Pacific.
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| Trump administration briefing on Iran angers Republican senators, boosts effort to restrict presidential power Posted: 08 Jan 2020 03:06 PM PST  A briefing by Trump administration officials about the U.S. military strike that killed Iran's most famous general backfired on Wednesday, angering two Republican senators and driving them to support a Democratic effort to require congressional approval for any further military engagement.
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| Ten years after deadly Haiti quake, survivors feel forgotten Posted: 08 Jan 2020 06:39 PM PST  Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Ten years ago, Herlande Mitile was left disabled by the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti. Today, she uses a wheelchair jury-rigged with a piece of string, which means she cannot go far.
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| A senator wants to ban the US from sharing intelligence with countries using Huawei 5G — which is most of America's allies Posted: 09 Jan 2020 03:49 AM PST  The US has been desperately trying to convince allies to freeze out Huawei's 5G kit for a year, with limited success.
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| Trump wants to know 'How are your 409K's doing' in this 'all-time high' stock market Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:56 AM PST  President Trump knows business. He knows the stock market. And he thinks he knows what should be happening to your "409K's" right about now.After stock market indexes rose to record highs early Thursday, Trump sent a tweet asking "HOW ARE YOUR 409K'S DOING?" If they're "only 50 percent up," he continued, well, "What are you doing wrong?"(Screenshot/@RealDonaldTrump on Twitter)Trump eventually deleted his tweet and corrected it to "401K's," which are indeed an actual thing.> STOCK MARKET AT ALL-TIME HIGH! HOW ARE YOUR 401K'S DOING? 70%, 80%, 90% up? Only 50% up! What are you doing wrong?> > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2020But not before Time's Alex Fitzpatrick noted that a Sept. 2019 Gallup report found only 55 percent of Americans own stock, and well, 90 percent up from zero is still zero.More stories from theweek.com The world is abandoning America 37 TV shows to watch in 2020 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's Iran mess
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| Filipino Catholics pray for Mideast peace in huge gathering Posted: 08 Jan 2020 07:03 PM PST  The daylong procession of the wooden Black Nazarene draws massive numbers of largely poor devotees who pray for the sick and a better life. This year, widespread fears over the conflict between the United States and Iran were highlighted in a predawn Mass. "Let us remember that in other parts of the world, the threat of violence is brewing and, hopefully, this will not lead to war," Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle told the crowd at a Manila seaside park.
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| Thousands flee beach towns after prime minister proclaims Australia 'wonderful place to come' Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:52 AM PST  Hot, windy weather swept back into southeastern Australia on Thursday, whipping historic bushfires and prompting evacuation of several coastal towns.
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| Lebanon bans ex-Nissan boss Ghosn from travelling - judicial sources Posted: 09 Jan 2020 01:05 AM PST  A Lebanese prosecutor imposed a travel ban on former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn on Thursday, judicial sources said, after he was questioned over an Interpol warrant issued by Japan seeking his arrest on financial misconduct charges. Ghosn fled Japan to Lebanon, his childhood home, last month as he was awaiting trial on charges of under-reporting earnings, breach of trust and misappropriation of company funds, all of which he denies. The Lebanese judicial authorities also asked Japan for its file on Ghosn, including the charges against him, and will not question him again until the information is received, one of the sources said.
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| Submarines Are the Key To Israel's Secret Nuclear Weapons Arsenal Posted: 09 Jan 2020 03:00 AM PST  They're here to stay.
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| What Do You Do When Neo-Nazis Crash Your Anti-War Rally? Posted: 09 Jan 2020 02:00 AM PST  They showed up to anti-war protests in Pittsburgh and Atlanta on Saturday waving signs and distributing flyers. They live-streamed from a Monday night anti-war demonstration in Austin. But they weren't associated with the left-wing crowd who organized pushback on the U.S. assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani last week. They were far-right activists, some of them affiliated with known extremist groups.FBI Got Warrants for 'Unite the Right' Organizer Jason Kessler, Antifa ActivistsIn the days after Soleimani's assassination, leftist-organized rallies drew hundreds of attendees each—fewer than the tens of thousands who showed up to some of the most visible anti-war protests against the Iraq War, but sizeable pockets of discontent nonetheless. At the same time, some right-wing figures have also made their presence felt in the emerging anti-war scene. Some are hecklers, just looking to crash a rival protest. But others, including overt neo-Nazi groups and Republican pundits like Tucker Carlson, who has voiced opposition to war on Fox News, represent an anti-interventionist wing of an otherwise hawkish conservative movement.The apparent ideological overlap has some lefties wondering what, if anything, they should do about the far-right figures at their rallies in the era of Unite the Right and "very fine people on both sides."The first of the faceoffs appears to have come Saturday, when five far-right demonstrators reportedly showed up at an anti-war protest in Pittsburgh's Schenley Plaza. Although they chanted along with anti-war slogans, the men carried anti-Semitic signs blaming Jews for wars. Leftist demonstrators drove the group away with a "Nazis out" chant.One of the interlopers was later identified as Greg Conte, a white nationalist who has worked closely with racist organizations. Conte made national headlines in 2018 when it was revealed that he worked as a substitute teacher. (On Twitter, former students accused him of bigotry in the classroom. Conte previously told the Washington Post that he did not "openly preach" his views at school but sometimes questioned students on whether hate could be acceptable, or why diversity was good.)The same day, at least one member of the white supremacist group Patriot Front distributed flyers at an anti-war protest in Atlanta, according to an activist involved in anti-fascist organizing in that city who spoke on condition of anonymity.A fascist presence at an anti-war rally might strike some observers as surprising. But certain fringes of the right have historically cozied up with anti-imperial movements."People often confuse the far right with other conservatives," Spencer Sunshine, a writer and lecturer long focused on the far right, told The Daily Beast. But unlike more mainstream Republicans, "the far right, traditionally, is very isolationist. The original America First committees were opposed to U.S. entry in WWII. Generally, these groups are opposed to U.S. intervention overseas. They'll often say they're proxy wars for Israel. You find this stuff a lot more among groups that are highly anti-Semitic, or are third-positionist.""Third position" describes fascist ideology that often fuses some left-wing economic and anti-war policy with overt white supremacy and opposition to immigration, feminism, and LGBTQ rights. The National Policy Institute, a racist thinktank where Conte used to work alongside white nationalist Richard Spencer, could be classified as third-positionist, Sunshine noted.On Twitter, Spencer has voiced opposition to attacks on Iran, but framed his argument in terms of protecting "Aryan heritage sites" from "Zionist" forces. At least one subsequent tweet denouncing President Donald Trump around the time Iran struck military bases in Iraq on Tuesday was picked up by hosts of The View, where audience members applauded the white nationalist who recently made headlines for screaming racist and anti-Semitic slurs.Actors on the far right often use wars to invoke anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, either overtly accusing American Jews of orchestrating them (as Conte's crowd reportedly did in Pittsburgh) or speaking more euphemistically about Israel or "Zionists" fueling the war efforts."It's been a long-standing tactic of the far right in the U.S. to try to recruit from left-wingers, or to create a coalition," Sunshine said. Occasionally those efforts are successful. "There are some people on the left who want to have a left-right coalition of anti-war people… They want to have a bloc of all anti-imperialists and they don't really care who it is."The far right's favorite Fox News pundit, Tucker Carlson, also made anti-war gestures after Soleimani's assassination, claiming that war with Iran would be a distraction from cracking down on immigration. Although the stance placed Carlson at odds with most of his network, his comments were in line with previous salvos against people of color, according to Matt Gertz, a senior fellow at the liberal organization Media Matters."The argument he's making there is that it's a bad idea to get involved in an escalating situation with Iran because it's going to get attention off of what he calls the 'invasion' of the southern border," Gertz told The Daily Beast. "That language of invasion, like the language of 'Great Replacement' that he uses, are frequent tropes of white nationalists, and part of the reason that white nationalists really appreciate Tucker Carlson's show and think he's a big asset to their movement."When the missiles actually drop, some supposedly anti-war Republicans fall into pro-war party lines. This summer, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz enjoyed bipartisan buzz for his work on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have cut off federal funding for military actions on Iran that were not approved by Congress. The bill would have also barred the use of the 2001 or 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) to justify attacks on Iran. (The White House's best legal defense of the strike on Soleimani rests on a shaky combination of both AUMFs, Lawfare reported.) The bill passed in the House, but was dropped from the final text of the NDAA. Despite his previous support of the bill, Gaetz was a vocal supporter of the strike on Soleimani. "The President correctly *responded* to violence & ongoing threats against US personnel after repeated warnings and admirable restraint," Gaetz tweeted. "He did *not* start a regime change war."The day after Soleimani's assassination, left-wing Rep. Ro Khanna and Senator Bernie Sanders announced plans to reintroduce the bill. Gaetz's name was notably absent from the press release."Gaetz's staff and our staff are in touch for the Sanders/Khanna bill but no decision has been made yet on partnership," a Khanna spokesperson told The Daily Beast on Monday. A Sanders spokesperson said the senator and presidential candidate was interested in working across the aisle to pass the bill. Gaetz's office did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.Already, questions about how to respond to far-right incursion are dogging leftist anti-war groups. In Atlanta, an anti-fascist group has begun circling a flyer warning activists to "look out for facist entryism at antiwar protests." The group advised protesters to photograph interlopers or confront them directly.Protesters Across U.S. Condemn Trump's 'New War' After Soleimani KillingAlthough footage of Pittsburgh demonstrators expelling interlocutors went viral, some social media users alleged that a number of rally attendees did little to oppose Conte's crowd. In Austin on Monday, two people said to be associated with the far-right group Texas Nomads SAR crashed a Democratic Socialists of America anti-war rally while live-streaming. Anti-fascists on Twitter accused the DSA of being too slow to respond to the disruption.Madeline Detelich, a member of the Austin DSA leadership, said the two live-streamers were there to antagonize protesters, not co-opt the rally, and that DSA members tried blocking their cameras with anti-war signs. Nevertheless, her chapter will be "strategizing" for future clashes, she said."We're thinking a lot about the best way forward. My own view is that numbers are our best friend."Sunshine also characterized the conflict as a numbers game. "The really far-right people don't have the numbers," he said. "Their presence is just to be a parasite on the organization."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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| Croatia Says Short Brexit Transition Would Pose Test for Talks Posted: 08 Jan 2020 08:55 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Croatia, which just took over the European Union's six-month rotating presidency, signaled any deal between the bloc and post-Brexit Britain on a future relationship would be limited should the negotiating deadline be end-2020."We have to be realistic in understanding how much time we have ahead of us if we want to conclude," Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told reporters on Wednesday in Zagreb, the capital.The U.K. is on course to leave the EU by Jan. 31 after Prime Minister Boris Johnson scored an overwhelming victory in last month's national elections on a pledge to "get Brexit done."Expected U.K. parliamentary approval of a hard-fought withdrawal agreement between Britain and its 27 EU partners will trigger a transition phase until end-2020. During this period, the economic status quo will be maintained while both sides negotiate on their future trade, political, security and other relations.Under the Brexit deal, the transition phase could be prolonged by as long as two years. Such a decision would have to be taken by mid-2020.Since his election win, Johnson has said he would forgo the opportunity for any extension of the transition beyond this year. The U.K.'s EU partners aim to approve a mandate for negotiations with Britain in late February on the future relationship."We should adopt a negotiating framework that is inclusive, but also approach it in a realistic manner," Plenkovic said on Wednesday.To contact the reporters on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Zagreb at jstearns2@bloomberg.net;Jasmina Kuzmanovic in Zagreb at jkuzmanovic@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, ;Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey, Andrew LangleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Salvadoran accused of terrorism ties arrested in Carson City Posted: 09 Jan 2020 10:34 AM PST |
| Australians on SE coast urged to flee as fire risk escalates Posted: 08 Jan 2020 05:16 PM PST  Residents in the path of wildfires razing southeast Australia were urged to evacuate on Thursday if they don't intend to defend their homes as hot and windy conditions are forecast to escalate the danger over the next two days. The Rural Fire Service in New South Wales state has told fire-weary community meetings south of Sydney in the coastal towns of Nowra, Narooma and Batemans Bay that northwesterly winds were likely to once again drive blazes toward the coast. In neighboring Victoria state, fire-threatened populations were urged to act quickly on evacuation warnings.
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| US Army to field Israeli-made long-range missile on helicopters Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:59 AM PST  An Israeli-made missile is joining the family of Army airborne munitions, but on an interim basis, as the service fleshes out its requirements for weapons that get after greater standoff.
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| Vietnamese women strive to clear war-era mines Posted: 08 Jan 2020 09:34 PM PST  Inching across a field littered with Vietnam war-era bombs, Ngoc leads an all-women demining team clearing unexploded ordnance that has killed tens of thousands of people -- including her uncle. More than 6.1 million hectares of land in Vietnam remain blanketed by unexploded munitions -- mainly dropped by US bombers -- decades after the war ended in 1975. Victims are often farmers who accidentally trigger explosions, people salvaging scrap metal, or children who mistake bomblets for toys.
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| U.S. appeals court stays judge's ruling blocking military funds for border wall Posted: 08 Jan 2020 06:26 PM PST  A U.S. federal appeals court on Wednesday put on hold a lower court ruling that blocked President Donald Trump's administration from using $3.6 billion in military construction funds to build a wall on the country's border with Mexico. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay pending the Trump administration's appeal of a Dec. 10 decision by a federal judge that barred the funding transfer. In a 2-1 ruling, the panel noted that the U.S. Supreme Court had stayed an injunction in a similar border wall case from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
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| CIA Director Gina Haspel reportedly pushed for Soleimani's killing — and perfectly predicted Iran's response Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:10 AM PST  The Trump administration reportedly knew exactly what would happen when it killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.Okay, so it may have just been the prediction of CIA Director Gina Haspel that Iran would retaliate with airstrikes on Iraqi military bases holding U.S. troops. But it was partly based on her analysis that the U.S. decided to assassinate Soleimani in the first place, administration officials tell The New York Times:> In the days before General Suleimani's death, Ms. Haspel had advised Mr. Trump that the threat the Iranian general presented was greater than the threat of Iran's response if he was killed, according to current and former American officials. Indeed, Ms. Haspel had predicted the most likely response would be a missile strike from Iran to bases where American troops were deployed, the very situation that appeared to be playing out on Tuesday afternoon. [The New York Times]The Times is careful to point out that "Haspel took no formal position about whether to kill General Soleimani," but "officials who listened to her analysis came away with the clear view that the C.I.A. believed that killing him would improve — not weaken — security in the Middle East." Read more at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com The world is abandoning America 37 TV shows to watch in 2020 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's Iran mess
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| ‘You’re Never Prepared For This’: Puerto Rico Reels From Fresh Quake Nightmare Posted: 07 Jan 2020 06:42 PM PST  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—Large sections of Puerto Rico plunged into darkness Tuesday after a 6.4 earthquake that killed at least one person and left island residents still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria feeling newly vulnerable, frustrated, and alone.A day earlier, another quake—this one clocking in at a magnitude of 5.8— disintegrated an iconic, natural coastal treasure: a rocky "window" to the sea in Guayanilla that was a popular attraction for both locals and tourists. Tuesday's activity, however, severely impacted the electrical grid, leaving parts of the island without power in a bitter recall of the nearly yearlong partial outage that began in late 2017. As of Tuesday evening, the latest blackout remained widespread, with the power authority still working to reestablish service for the majority of the island. (The Daily Beast reached out for comment to the agency but had not received a response at the time of publication. Up-to-date info on power restoration can be found here.) Many residents were also without water.The Streets Are 'Not Safe': Puerto Rico Begs U.S. for HelpIn addition to the fear of constant aftershocks, especially for those living in the southern part of the island, the specter of past government failures—not to mention cascading U.S.-Iranian conflict drawing most of the headlines—had some residents resigned to riding out this new kind of storm on their own.Sarimer Valedon Morciglio, 27, lives close to Guayanilla, in Yauco, with her mother. They adopted a state of emergency preparedness after Monday's quake, deciding to sleep together in the living room of their home—fully clothed, shoes included. Still, when Tuesday's quake hit, Valedon Morciglio's 50-year-old mother was injured: "My mom fell," she told the Daily Beast. "She has a mark on her head, a bruise on her side, and her knee is swollen." Of the homes and buildings that have fissured or ruptured, a three-story, active public school in Guánica folded into itself like a half-crushed soda can. Because of the hour, no students were inside. Meanwhile, images of crumbled or cracked cement houses and buildings around the island, particularly around the epicenters near the southern towns of Guánica and Guayanilla, were flooding Puerto Rican social media throughout Tuesday.Aftershocks rolled in one after another, Morciglio added, her voice quivering. "It was like, four in a row. You couldn't move."Guayanilla resident Hector J. Nieves García, 35, was grateful to see his home intact as of late Tuesday. But he worried for his cousins and aunt, who live close by in a house built atop columns. Some of the houses that have succumbed to the quakes are built in the same style, he explained. No changes are apparent as of now, he added, "But you never know. We're not experts." Both Valedon Morciglio and Nieves García, as well as another Guayanilla resident, 47-year-old Tato Torres, said they were feeling at least two aftershocks, some stronger than others, per hour as of late Tuesday."You think you're prepared, but you're never prepared for this," Torres said. "You feel very vulnerable." In Torres' own barrio, neighbors were congregating outside, some sitting in their cars, worried that the next event could bring the collapse of any structure they might be inside. He lamented that few seemed to have concrete plans of action for quakes like these. "There are basic understandings that everyone should know, and it would help alleviate the anxiety," he said. "But there's no resources." San Juan's Iconic La Perla Neighborhood Defies TrumpHe put no stock in government aid, saying instead that, like the island's recovery post-Hurricane Maria, it was the Puerto Rican diaspora in combination with those on the ground—communities working together—where help and support might be found. On Tuesday, Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced, who succeeded former Governor Ricardo Rosselló after leaked chat logs and corruption allegations led to his resignation, declared a state of emergency. But considering the commonly acknowledged failures of Puerto Rico's government and FEMA post-Hurricane Maria, Torres was far from alone in his reluctance to rely on authorities for help. For Valedon Morciglia, there was safety—and some tranquility—in numbers. She and her mother were, by Tuesday evening, now staying with family members, albeit still in Yauco. Her mother's injury and also seeing an estimated 80-pound gate fall and break on their property, she explained, was enough impetus for them to find refuge elsewhere. They don't want to experience what comes next alone."It's frustrating," she said, trembling. "I just hope when we get back that the house is still 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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| Look Out Russia, The Air Force Is Getting Ready For Its New Nuclear Weapons Posted: 09 Jan 2020 12:15 AM PST  A major reorganization.
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| Men are paying $76,000 for a limb-extending surgery that involves breaking leg bones and inserting nails and screws Posted: 09 Jan 2020 11:35 AM PST  The procedure tricks a person's body into thinking it's still growing, allowing patients to eventually grow up to six inches taller.
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| Ex-prisoners slam Lori Loughlin’s reported jail preparation Posted: 08 Jan 2020 06:06 AM PST  As Lori Loughlin gets ready for her trial in the college-admissions scandal, she is said to have hired a prison consultant who's teaching her martial arts to prepare for the possibility of prison, a move other experts in the industry have called absurd.
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