| Trump Supports Labeling Antifa A ‘Major Organization Of Terror’ Posted: 27 Jul 2019 01:08 PM PDT  President Donald Trump lent support to labeling Antifa a terrorist organization Saturday, calling the group a collection of "gutless Radical Left Wack Jobs.""Consideration is being given to declaring ANTIFA, the gutless Radical Left Wack Jobs who go around hitting (only non-fighters) people over the heads with baseball bats, a major Organization of Terror (along with MS-13 & others)," Trump wrote. "Would make it easier for police to do their job!"It is unclear what prompted Trump's remarks, but he appeared to refer to a resolution proposed earlier this month by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy to label Antifa a terrorist group."Antifa is a terrorist organization composed of hateful, intolerant radicals who pursue their extreme agenda through aggressive violence," Cruz said when announcing the resolution July 19.Cruz and Cassidy were responding to the Antifa attack on journalist Andy Ngo at a protest in Portland June 29. Ngo, an editor for Quillette who has tracked the Antifa movement, had his camera equipment stolen and was bloodied and bruised in the attack, which was caught on film. Ngo also said he suffered a head injury.Cruz was assailed by members of the Washington, D.C., chapter of Antifa at a restaurant last September. After chasing him and his wife out of the restaurant, the group's Twitter account sent the Republican a message warning that he was "not safe."
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| Eight killed as quakes hit far northern Philippines Posted: 27 Jul 2019 12:45 AM PDT  Eight people were killed and dozens injured when a series of earthquakes struck islands in the far northern Philippines early Saturday, toppling historic buildings and sending terrified locals fleeing their homes. The tremors hit the province of Batanes, a group of sparsely populated islets north of the nation's largest Luzon island, tearing deep cracks in roads and forcing the evacuation of a hospital.
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| Two dogs escape animal shelter and kill 29 cats in Alabama Posted: 27 Jul 2019 04:11 AM PDT  Two pitbull dogs broke free from their cages at an Alabama animal shelter and mauled 29 cats to death. Workers at the Dothan Animal Shelter found the dead cats on Thursday morning, local media reported.Shelter director Bill Banks told television outlet WTVY that it appeared the two dogs had forced their way out of their cages and pushed against the fence of the cat area to get inside. City mayor Mark Saliba told CNN the incident would be investigated."Unfortunately, tragic events sometimes fuel us to push things forward a little bit faster," he said. "I'm thinking this will do just that.""We are all saddened and surprised by the event that took place," Mr Saliba said. "The safety of our animals is the top priority at the shelter."Officials told local media the dogs were subsequently captured, but did not say whether the dogs would be killed.Members of the public have taken to social media to express their anger at what happened, with many calling for an investigation into the shelter.
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| Baltimore officials respond to Trump's tweet calling city a 'rat and rodent infested... mess' Posted: 27 Jul 2019 02:24 PM PDT ![Baltimore officials respond to Trump's tweet calling city a 'rat and rodent infested... mess']( "Baltimore officials respond to Trump's tweet calling city a 'rat and rodent infested... mess'") President Trump sparks outrage with derogatory tweets about congressman Elijah Cummings.
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| No 'day in court': U.S. deportation orders blindside some families Posted: 26 Jul 2019 03:09 AM PDT  SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Carin, a 39-year-old subsistence farmer from Honduras, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her two sons late last year. Carin said she made sure to check the mailbox regularly at the apartment in Colorado where they were living. It was a deportation order.
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| Photo of mother begging Mexican guard becomes symbol of migrants' struggle Posted: 26 Jul 2019 10:15 AM PDT  Viral images show Ledy Pérez sobbing as she pleads with an armed guard to let her and her son aged six cross the US-Mexico borderGuatemalan migrant Ledy Pérez embraces her son, Anthony, while praying to ask a member of the Mexican national guard to let them cross into the US, as seen from Ciudad Juárez. Photograph: José Luis González/ReutersLedy Pérez grasped her six-year-old son and sobbed as she begged a Mexican guard to let her bring him across the US-Mexico border and to, hopefully, a better future than the one she faced at home in Guatemala.The image of Pérez embracing her son, Anthony Díaz, as he stares at guards clad in desert fatigues and armed with assault rifles has made headlines in Mexico and gone viral in the US.Through sobs, Pérez repeatedly asks the officers let her pass in a video posted by Mexico's El Universal newspaper. "Don't let them send me back," she says. "I just want to give my son a better life."Ledy Pérez reacts while holding hands with her son, Anthony, while asking to members of the Mexican national guard to let them cross into the US. Photograph: José Luis González/ReutersFamilies arrived at the US border from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador at record rates in the spring, fleeing a toxic mix of violence, poverty, food insecurity, climate change and corruption.Under pressure from the US to stem the flow, Mexico's president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, directed nearly a third of the country's militarized national guard police force to patrol the border. He insists the rights of migrants must be upheld, but the image of Pérez's plight garnered criticism in Mexico.On Tuesday, former Mexican president Felipe Calderón retweeted the photo and wrote: "What a pity! The Mexico government should not have accepted this"The national guard deployment, along with the hot summer weather, saw the number of people apprehended at the border fall in June though the factors driving people out of the region, known as the Northern Triangle, have not been resolved.Pérez embraces her son while facing Mexico's national guard. There was no overt aggression in the nine-minute encounter in Ciudad Juárez, the photographer, José Luis González, told Reuters. Photograph: José Luis González/ReutersThe Reuters photographer José Luis González captured the powerful images and said the soldier centered in the photo did not provide his name, but said he was only following orders. There was no overt aggression in the nine-minute encounter in Ciudad Juárez, González told Reuters.Pérez was undaunted by the soldiers' steely response and lunged for the border with her son when the soldier looked away, Gonález said. Sprinting across the riverbank, the pair made it out of the national guard's jurisdiction into US territory, where they were taken into custody by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).From there, they could be brought to a US detention facility, freed until their immigration case is heard by a judge or returned to Mexico while their asylum claim is processed.Pérez embraces her son as she pleads with Mexican armed police. Photograph: José Luis González/ReutersThe crossing Pérez and Anthony eventually made is often characterized as an "illegal" entry, despite the Trump administration making legal crossings for asylum seekers nearly impossible. The difficulty of requesting asylum has driven people to attempt entry at other parts of the border, often with the intent of being apprehended by US border patrol.Under an informal policy known as "metering", asylum seekers must wait months before they are allowed to approach US officials and request asylum. Nearly 20,000 people who have managed to request asylum from a US official have since been returned to Mexico to wait for their case to be processed as part of the Trump administration's opaque Remain in Mexico policy. The returned migrants have told journalists, advocates and courts that they were extorted, assaulted and raped in Mexico.Pérez and Anthony sprinted across the riverbank, made it out of national guard jurisdiction and into US territory, where they were taken into custody by US Customs and Border Protection. Photograph: José Luis González/ReutersIt is unclear what comes next for Pérez and her son, but the photographer said her face in the photos was "a small reflection of all migrants' suffering".González said: "A lot of people judge migrants, ask why don't they stay in their country, why do they come here or why are they crossing into the United States … Every migrant has a story."
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| Young asylum seekers in US easy prey for gangs Posted: 27 Jul 2019 07:09 AM PDT  Young Central American asylum seekers fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries are increasingly falling prey to the notorious MS-13 gang in the United States, authorities say. The youngsters, most of them from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, are proving to be easy targets for the gang which takes advantage of their vulnerability as immigrants. "They are young victims who very likely left their countries in the hope that they would find security and prosperity in the United States," Los Angeles County district attorney Jackie Lacey said last week as she announced a sweeping indictment against 22 members of the gang.
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| Libya Hit Haftar Forward Airbase After Receiving Turkish Drones Posted: 26 Jul 2019 08:18 AM PDT ![Libya Hit Haftar Forward Airbase After Receiving Turkish Drones]( "Libya Hit Haftar Forward Airbase After Receiving Turkish Drones") (Bloomberg) -- Libya's internationally-recognized government said it conducted airstrikes for the first time against the main forward airbase for eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar, destroying a hangar containing drones and a Russian-made military transport plane.The strike on the airbase in Jufra, Haftar's central Libyan staging ground for a three-month offensive on Tripoli, came days after the strongman's forces announced a renewed attempt to seize the capital in a battle that has stalled at the city's outskirts and drawn in increasing foreign intervention.The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord was not known to have aircraft capable of conducting precision nighttime strikes. It has improved its capabilities with the receipt of armed Turkish Bayraktar drones in recent weeks, according to three senior GNA officials, who asked not to be named because the weapons supplies aren't public. Libya has been under a United Nations arms embargo since 2011.Bayraktar, the drone company, is owned by the family of a son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Officials at the company declined to comment when reached by Bloomberg. Facing opposition criticism in parliament for alleged arms shipments to Libya, Emrullah Isler, Erdogan's envoy to the country, said earlier this month that Turkey supports the legitimate, UN-backed government in Tripoli, without elaborating.On the other side of the battle, Haftar's forces have been supported by U.A.E-owned and Chinese-made Wing Loong drones, according to two Western diplomats.The strike on the Jufra airbase destroyed "a hangar containing drones and an Ilyushin 76 transport plane used to supply the armed groups," the GNA military statement said, referring to Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army.Libya splintered in the aftermath of the NATO-backed overthrow of dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011. Haftar's eastern-based forces swept through the south earlier this year before setting their sights on the capital.To contact the reporter on this story: Samer Khalil Al-Atrush in Cairo at skhalilalatr@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Benjamin Harvey at bharvey11@bloomberg.net, Mark WilliamsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Man accidentally shot dead by own passenger in ‘failed drive-by attempt’ Posted: 27 Jul 2019 01:06 PM PDT  A man has died after being accidentally shot by his own passenger as he attempted to fire out of a car window, police say.Matthew Gibson, 26, was pronounced dead on 22 July after being shot in the head during the incident which prosecutors portrayed as a drive-by shooting gone bad in Park Manor, Chicago.Video footage from 21 July showed Gibson pulling alongside a white SUV that was waiting to make a left turn at around 5:40am, according to reports from the Chicago Sun-Times.As the car slowed his passenger, Jake Lee, opened fire on the vehicle with a .40-caliber handgun.However Lee, 27, accidentally shot his driver in the head during the incident. Despite his injuries Gibson was able to drive two miles from the scene.A 22-year-old man was also wounded during the shooting. Prosecutors for Cook County added that there did not appear to be any sign of shots being fired from the white SUV.Gibson was found to be brain dead on Monday, and was kept alive only to have his organs harvested. His death was ruled as a homicide.His death was the 271st recorded homicide in Chicago this year, a figure that has risen to 277 since the incident. Of those deaths, 243 were killed in shootings.Lee, from the city's Englewood area, now faces a charge of aggravated battery with a firearm, and is expected to face a count of murder.He was placed on parole in April 2017 after having served an eight-year sentence for aggravated battery with a handgun, a period that was set to end in 2020.Lee was denied bail at a hearing on 23 July.
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| Emily McGuire thought her husband ordered a box from Amazon for her birthday. Then she took a closer look Posted: 25 Jul 2019 07:49 PM PDT  Emily McGuire's husband surprised her with a birthday cake decorated like an Amazon package, much to the delight of avid shoppers on Facebook.
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| Everything You Wanted to Know About the New Sniper Rifles the Military Is Getting Posted: 27 Jul 2019 07:00 AM PDT  While a handful of lucky Marines with 1st Marine Expeditionary Force units are already rocking the Mk 13 Mod 7 (the Corps' first new sniper system since the adoption of the M40 during the Vietnam War) in their kits, there are plans to field the rifle to II MEF and II MEF units through 2019 — and Marines already love it. With the fiscal year 2019 defense budget put to bed without a bloody fight among lawmakers for the first time in recent memory, there are plenty of goodies for rank-and-file U.S. service members tucked into the massive appropriation measure — and not just their largest pay raise in more than a decade.Here's a brief overview of all the new gear headed into the waiting hands of soldiers and Marines downrange in 2019.An M4 replacement — for Marines, at leastWhile the Army continues to hash out the details of its next-generation rifle, the Marine Corps in April announced plans to snag up to 15,000 M27 infantry Automatic Rifles produced by Heckler & Koch as a replacement for the M4 carbine, with additional plans to actually field the new rifles to active and reserve infantry platoons at the beginning of 2019. Given some of the problems that cropped up during testing of the platform, time will tell if the Army's decision to stick with its homegrown rifle was the right one.(This first appeared in December 2018.)New sniper systems for Marines
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| US Supreme Court allows Trump to spend military funds on US-Mexico border wall construction Posted: 26 Jul 2019 05:14 PM PDT  The US Supreme Court has handed Donald Trump a reprieve by allowing his administration to redirect $2.5 billion earmarked for the Pentagon to help build his US-Mexico border wall. The conservative-majority court overturned by a 5-4 vote a ruling by a federal judge in California that prevented Mr Trump from using the money on the wall as it had not been approved by Congress. "Wow! Big VICTORY on the Wall. The United States Supreme Court overturns lower court injunction, allows Southern Border Wall to proceed. Big WIN for Border Security and the Rule of Law!" Mr Trump tweeted. A brief order explaining the court's decision said the government "made a sufficient showing" that the groups challenging the decision did not have grounds to bring a lawsuit. "The diversion of military funds for border wall construction will wall off and destroy communities, public lands, and waters," said Gloria Smith, an attorney for the Sierra Club, which sued to block the funds. Mr Trump has said the wall is needed to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking Credit: AFP Mr Trump had declared on 15 February a national emergency in a bid to fund the wall without congressional approval, an action Democrats said exceeded his powers and usurped Congress' authority. The administration has also pledged to redirect $6.7 billion from the Departments of Defense and Treasury toward wall construction after failing to persuade Congress to provide the money. Congress earlier failed to provide $5.7 billion in wall funding demanded by Mr Trump in a showdown in which the president triggered a 35-day partial shutdown of the federal government that ended in January. The administration said a court decision was needed quickly because it needs to spend the money before the end of September, when the federal government's fiscal year ends. Mr Trump made the border wall a major 2016 campaign promise, while the border wall remains part of his hardline immigration policies that are central to his 2020 re-election bid. Mr Trump has said the wall is needed to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking across the southern border. Democrats have called the wall immoral, ineffective and expensive. The Southern Border Communities Coalition, a group advocating for people living in border areas, joined the Sierra Club in suing to try to block the administration's action. The challengers have said the border wall would be disruptive to the environment in part because it could worsen flooding problems and have a negative impact on wildlife. US District Judge Haywood Gilliam ruled in May that appropriating Defense Department budget for the fight against illegal drugs was unlawful, and issued an injunction barring the use of Pentagon funds. The administration asked that the injunction barring use of the reprogrammed funds be put on hold pending an appeal but the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals declined to do so.
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| UPDATE 1-UK PM Johnson tells EU: ditch the backstop or there will be no-deal Brexit Posted: 27 Jul 2019 04:30 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-UK PM Johnson tells EU: ditch the backstop or there will be no-deal Brexit]( "UPDATE 1-UK PM Johnson tells EU: ditch the backstop or there will be no-deal Brexit") British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cautioned the European Union on Saturday that the Irish backstop, which he said was undemocratic, needed to be ditched if they were to strike a Brexit divorce deal. Johnson, since taking office on Wednesday, has repeatedly warned that if the EU continues to refuse to renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement agreed by his predecessor, Theresa May, then he will take Britain out on Oct. 31 without a deal.
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| Photos of the 2020 Lotus Evora GT Posted: 26 Jul 2019 07:55 AM PDT |
| Canadian police deploy dogs, air surveillance in hunt for murder suspects Posted: 26 Jul 2019 01:49 AM PDT  Heavily armed police with tracker dogs were searching a remote and densely forested area of northern Canada where a pair of teens wanted in three murders are thought to be holed up. Canadians Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, are sought in the murders of Australian Lucas Fowler and his American girlfriend, Chynna Deese. The pair have also been charged with the second-degree murder of a third person, identified by police as Leonard Dyck.
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| Turkey determined to destroy 'terror corridor' in Syria Posted: 26 Jul 2019 11:25 AM PDT  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday his country is determined to destroy what he called a "terror corridor" in northern Syria — regardless of whether or not Turkey and the United States agree on the establishment of a so-called "safe zone" there. U.S. and Turkish officials have been holding talks on creating a safe zone east of the Euphrates River to address Turkey's security concerns stemming from the presence of Syrian Kurdish fighters in the region. Turkey views the Kurdish fighters — who have battled the Islamic State group alongside U.S. forces — as terrorists, allied with a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey.
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| 'Mind-blowing': Stranded for 4 days, 73-year-old man and his two dogs survive in remote Oregon desert Posted: 26 Jul 2019 07:29 AM PDT  In a stunning tale of survival, Oregon police say Gregory Randolph, 73, and his dogs miraculously survived after being stranded in an Oregon desert.
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| Never-released photos of James Dean's fatal crash up for auction Posted: 25 Jul 2019 11:05 PM PDT  RR auction says there are about 30 photos and they expect them to bring in $20,000.
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| Will Turkey Buy Russian Su-35s Instead of F-35s? Posted: 26 Jul 2019 11:00 PM PDT  The plot was predictable. Turkey buys Russian anti-aircraft missiles. The United States kicks Turkey out of the F-35 program. Then Russia offers Turkey Su-35 fighters."If our Turkish colleagues express an interest, we are ready to discuss the deliveries of the Su-35," announced Sergei Chemezov, head of Russia's state-owned Rostec arms firm, according to Russian news agency TASS.Russia's Sputnik News quoted an unnamed Turkish source as saying that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan would consider Russia's offer. "It is still premature to talk about Turkey's purchase of Russian Su-35 fighters," the source said. "Our president will assess this important topic. He will also make a statement."The F-35 is a fifth-generation aircraft, like the F-22 and Russia's Su-57. The Su-35—based on the Cold War Su-27 Flanker—is considered a 4.5-generation fighter like the U.S. F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon, and France's Rafale. A formidable dogfighter propelled by two thrust-vectoring engines that can be pointed in different directions for extra maneuverability, the Su-35 is more agile than an F-35, but lacks the Lightning II's stealth, sensors and data networking capabilities.First deployed by the Russian Air Force in 2015, 105 Su-35s have been built, including eighty-one for Russia and twenty-four exported to China (Indonesia wants to buy another eleven). A Turkish sale would not just be a welcome boon for Russia's sluggish economy, but a diplomatic triumph for Moscow if Turkey—NATO's southern anchor—buys Russian jets.
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| Paris Digs in on Digital Tax as Trump Floats Wine Tariffs Posted: 27 Jul 2019 07:57 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- France stuck to its plan to tax big multinational tech companies, defying U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion that he might impose tariffs on French wine."It's in all of our interest to move toward a just taxation worldwide for digital companies," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in Paris. Wine tariffs and the digital tax are "completely different issues" and shouldn't be lumped together, he told reporters on Saturday.It's the latest face-off between the self-proclaimed "Tariff Man" in the White House and a major European Union economy. The French tax and Trump's response threaten to further strain trans-Atlantic ties as the U.S. and EU prepare to negotiate a limited trade agreement on industrial goods.Trump on Friday raised the possibility of "substantial" retaliation against France. "It might be on wine, it might be on something else," he later told reporters in Washington.The law signed by President Emmanuel Macron imposes a 3% tax on the revenue of technology giants such as Facebook Inc. and Amazon.com Inc."We tax our companies, they don't tax our companies," Trump said.The tax, retroactive to January, affects companies with at least 750 million euros ($845 million) in global revenue and digital sales of 25 million euros in France. While most of the roughly 30 businesses affected are American, the list also includes Chinese, German, British and French companies."I've always liked American wines better than French wines, even though I don't drink wine," the president said Friday. He said he may impose the wine tariffs before a meeting of the Group of Seven meeting in late August.Trump has imposed or threatened to levy tariffs on several countries to force changes in their trade or immigration policies. Last month, he promised to do "something" about French wine that he said is allowed into the U.S. virtually tariff-free while France imposes duties on U.S. wine, calling the arrangement unfair.Wine is France's second-biggest export after aerospace equipment. The U.S. is the biggest market, accounting for about a quarter of France's 13.2 billion euros in wine exports last year.Trump has complained about France charging tariffs on U.S. wine in the past without taking action. He tweeted in November that it's too hard for American wine producers to sell in France but that the U.S. makes it "easy" to import French wines, which he said "must change."The U.S. charges a tariff of 5 cents per 750 milliliter bottle of imported still wine and 14 cents for sparkling wine, according to the Wine Institute, an advocacy group for California winemakers. European Union tariffs for imported wine range from 11 cents to 29 cents per bottle, according to the group.France hasn't backed off from its planned digital tax even after the U.S. suggested it may use trade tools against the levy.The U.S. has said it will examine whether the tax would hurt its tech firms, using the so-called 301 investigation, the same tool Trump deployed to impose tariffs on Chinese goods because of the country's alleged theft of intellectual property.France isn't alone among European nations in arguing that internet companies aren't paying their fair share into public coffers.Because they're often domiciled in other countries -- including low-tax jurisdictions such as Ireland or Bermuda -- and shift money seamlessly across borders, companies that sell online can easily avoid paying taxes in nations where they nevertheless make significant sales.France argues that the structure of the global economy has shifted to one based on data, rendering 20th-century tax systems archaic. According to 2018 figures from the European Commission, global tech companies pay a 9.5% average tax rate compared with 23.2% for traditional firms.While France is the first EU country to impose such a levy, it say it would prefer an EU-wide digital tax. Some other European countries are considering similar taxes.\--With assistance from Helene Fouquet, Hamza Ali, William Horobin and Aoife White.To contact the reporters on this story: Robert Williams in Paris at rwilliams323@bloomberg.net;Josh Wingrove in Washington at jwingrove4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Tony Czuczka, Sara MarleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Polish rights campaigners gather in Warsaw to condemn homophobic violence Posted: 27 Jul 2019 07:02 AM PDT |
| Epstein case: judge agrees to keep documents on 2008 plea deal secret Posted: 27 Jul 2019 11:22 AM PDT  Court grants prosecutors' request amid concern that releasing materials could hinder investigation of financier's associatesJeffrey Epstein, left, looks on during a bail hearing, in a 15 July court sketch. Photograph: Jane Rosenberg/ReutersA judge in New York has granted a request from prosecutors to keep secret documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein's controversial 2008 sexual abuse plea deal, on the grounds that the materials could hamper their investigation of others in the financier's milieu.The documents, which will be shared with Epstein's attorneys, are believed to concern not only the deal itself, which allowed Epstein to plead guilty to low-level state solicitation charges, but also a clause that granted immunity to any and all potential co-conspirators and named four women suspected of facilitating or participating in alleged crimes against minors.The documents may also shed light on the 2008 deal, which was kept secret from accusers for nearly a year in what some claim was a violation of the Crime Victims' Rights Act. Controversy over the deal forced the resignation earlier this month of the US labor secretary, Alex Acosta, who was US attorney in Miami at the time.In a court filing, prosecutors with the southern district of New York argued that the materials could "affect the privacy and confidentiality of individuals … [and that] would impede, if prematurely disclosed, the government's ongoing investigation of uncharged individuals".The order is only one of several signals that prosecutors plan to widen their investigation into what they allege was a years-long scheme to recruit and sexually abuse dozens of girls.Epstein, denied bail and remaining in custody pending trial, has pleaded not guilty to federal sex-trafficking charges. He is on suicide watch in a Manhattan detention facility, after being found unconscious with marks on his neck.On Friday, it was revealed that pilots of Epstein's private jets, including a Boeing 727 that carried high-profile friends to and from his home in the Virgin Islands, have been served with subpoenas.According to court filings, the pilots were responsible for keeping flight logs of passengers on the jets. Their testimony could be used by prosecutors to corroborate accusers' accounts and provide details of Epstein associates.Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, who was named in a civil suit brought by Epstein accuser Victoria Giuffre in 2003, are regularly named among associates of Epstein.Clinton has denied flying with the financier as many as 26 times, as has been reported, although he did say he took "a total of four trips" with him in 2002 and 2003.In a statement, the former president said he "knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York".Buckingham Palace has repeatedly denied the accusations against Prince Andrew.In 2015, Giuffre brought a defamation suit against Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the late press baron Robert Maxwell, for publicly calling Giuffre a liar after she claimed Maxwell participated with Epstein in sexually abusing her for two years starting in 2000, when she was 16 years old.This month, Maxwell, who has long denied allegations that she played a central role in the procuring of young women, told a three-judge panel in New York a media "feeding frenzy" justified keeping documents from the defamation suit secret.But Josh Schiller, one of Giuffre's lawyers, argued: "There is an overwhelming public interest both in getting access to these documents as well as the indictment of Mr Epstein and his prosecution."The judicial panel agreed. As soon as next week, 2,000 pages of documents relating to that case, which was settled in 2017, will be made public.In its ruling, the panel said the documents included descriptions of alleged abuse by Epstein and other individuals "including numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents, a well-known prime minister, and other world leaders".In April, Giuffre filed a defamation suit against the Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, Epstein's longtime lawyer and friend, after he denied her claim that he abused her.The shockwaves from Epstein's arrest on 6 July could travel further still. Central to the mystery of his operations is how he acquired his wealth, which was listed at his bail hearing as more than $550m.Last week, Deutsche Bank confirmed that Epstein moved millions of dollars through dozens of private accounts. Executives said they had believed they had severed the relationship with Epstein but had discovered accounts still controlled by him as recently as June."Deutsche Bank is closely examining any business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and we are absolutely committed to cooperating with all relevant authorities," a spokesman said.Authorities in Florida, meanwhile, have launched an investigation into whether Epstein was properly monitored during the 13-month sentence for soliciting prostitution from underage girls that was the product of the controversial 2008 deal.
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| Boko Haram kills 23 mourners after Nigeria funeral Posted: 27 Jul 2019 01:28 PM PDT  Boko Haram gunmen on Saturday killed 23 mourners in Borno state in Nigeria's restive northeast after they attended a funeral, local militia and residents said. At around 1030 GMT, the attackers on three motorbikes opened fire on a group of men as they walked back from a funeral in Nganzai district near the state capital Maiduguri, local militia leader Bunu Bukar Mustapha said.
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| SC murder suspect planned escape with fire, attack on guards Posted: 26 Jul 2019 10:02 AM PDT  An inmate awaiting trial on a murder charge planned an escape from a county jail in South Carolina by having fellow prisoners set fire to a mattress and attack guards trying to help them escape the smoke while he scaled a barbed wire topped fence, authorities said. The sheriff said he poured as many deputies and other officers into the search as he could because Stinnette was so dangerous. Stinnette killed a man during an argument in 2018, buried his body and dug it up twice because he feared someone was talking to police before finally dumping the remains in Lake Marion, Dennis said.
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| Russian police crack down hard on Moscow election protest Posted: 27 Jul 2019 08:40 AM PDT  Russian police cracked down hard Saturday on demonstrators in central Moscow, beating some people and arresting hundreds of others protesting the exclusion of opposition candidates from the ballot for Moscow city council. OVD-Info, an organization that monitors political arrests in Russia, said 638 people were detained. Moscow police earlier said 295 people had been taken in, but did not immediately give a final figure.
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| Gun rights advocates sue over California's 'absurd' law requiring background checks for ammo sales Posted: 25 Jul 2019 08:14 PM PDT  The lawsuit is in response to a recent California law requiring background checks ahead of all ammunition purchases.
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| Ultimate Showdown: America's F-15C Eagle vs Russia's Su-57 Posted: 26 Jul 2019 10:00 AM PDT  The Su-57—especially once it receives its new second stage engines—will be a handful for any fourth generation fighter given its combination of speed, maneuverability, stealth and electronic warfare capability. However, the U.S. Air Force does have a plan to defeat enemy stealth aircraft and a counter is already in the works.The venerable Boeing F-15C Eagle has long been hailed as the world's greatest air superiority fighter given its lopsided combat record of 104 kills to zero losses, however, the aging jet is likely near the end of its operational life. Nonetheless, it remains a potent fighter even as it likely heads toward retirement.(This first appeared last year.)The U.S. Air Force is deferring planned upgrades to the Eagle—such as the addition of new electronic warfare systems—until it decides if it wants to keep the increasingly aged airframe. Indeed, as the Air Force has discovered, the F-15C will need an extensive airframe overhaul and structural modifications to remain in service past the mid-2020s. In all likelihood, given that the Congress has refused to allow the service to retire the A-10 Warthog, the Air Force will have little choice but to divest itself of the F-15C to free up funding for more pressing projects. The F-15E Strike Eagle interdictor aircraft, though, will remain in service indefinitely.Recommended: The World's Most Secretive Nuclear Weapons Program.Recommended: The Fatal Flaw That Could Take Down an F-22 or F-35.
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| Trump says he does not blame Turkey for buying Russian air defense system Posted: 26 Jul 2019 01:16 PM PDT  U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he does not blame Turkey for buying a Russian missile defense system, which prompted his administration to remove the NATO ally from the F-35 fighter jet program. Trump, who was speaking to reporters at the White House, did not say when he would decide on imposing sanctions on Turkey for doing business with the Russian military, as required by a 2017 U.S. sanctions law. "We're looking at the whole Turkey situation," Trump said.
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| Indian navy rescues hundreds stranded on train in floods Posted: 26 Jul 2019 05:35 PM PDT  Indian navy helicopters and emergency service boats came to the rescue of more than 800 people stranded on a train in floods near Mumbai on Saturday. The Mahalaxmi Express left Mumbai late Friday for Kolhapur but travelled only 60 kilometres (37 miles) before it became stranded after a river burst its banks in torrential rain, covering the tracks. The train was stuck for about 12 hours in Thane district before authorities called in the Indian navy and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) who deployed helicopters, boats, and divers.
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| Gunmen dressed as police steal £24 million of gold destined for New York and Zurich from Sao Paulo airport Posted: 26 Jul 2019 01:29 AM PDT  Eight armed men carried out a sophisticated heist at Sao Paulo's main international airport and managed to escape with some 750 kilos of precious metals, airport authorities said Thursday. GRU Airport, which holds the Guarulhos operation concession, said the thieves hauled away gold destined for Zurich and New York by using two cars that looked like police patrol vehicles. They also dressed as officers, covered their faces and carried long weapons before making their getaway, according to security camera footage shown on Globo TV. The television outlet said the vehicles were later abandoned in Jardim Pantanal, a neighborhood located 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the airport. The operator said there were no shootings or injuries during the assault. But a police officer said an airport official and eight members of his extended family, including four minors, had been kidnapped for 12 hours. They were expected to give testimony in the next few hours, he added. The officer requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Sao Paulo police said they had reinforced surveillance around the area and were searching for the stolen cargo. GRU Airport said flights continue to operate normally.
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| Economist: New Trump farm aid may be distributed more fairly Posted: 26 Jul 2019 02:52 PM PDT ![Economist: New Trump farm aid may be distributed more fairly]( "Economist: New Trump farm aid may be distributed more fairly") The Trump administration's decision to base new handouts to farmers hit by the trade war with China on how many acres they've planted might be a fairer way to distribute the cash than the previous system of payments per bushel heavily skewed toward soybean growers, an agricultural economist said Friday. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Thursday that the administration will pay another $16 billion more in aid to farmers affected by the president's trade war with China.
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| Son of Iraq's late Yazidi prince takes over as leader Posted: 26 Jul 2019 05:31 PM PDT  Baghdad (AFP) - Hazem Tahsin Bek on Saturday succeeded his late father as prince of the Yazidi religious minority that was brutalised by the Islamic State group in northern Iraq.
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| Stealth Rules: Israel's F-35I Adir Is the First to Attack an Enemy Posted: 26 Jul 2019 12:43 PM PDT  Israel said its recent air strikes inside Syria targeted Iranian military infrastructure, in response to rocket fire aimed at Israeli military positions in the occupied Golan Heights.The F-35 stealth fighter has seen its first ever combat action, flying in an operation for the Israeli Air Force (IAF).On May 22, 2018 in fact Maj Gen Amikam Norkin, IAF chief, told heads of 20 foreign air forces meeting in Israel at the International Air Force Commander Conference that "The 'Adir' (F-35I) aircraft are already operational and flying combat missions. In fact, we have performed the first operational F-35 strike in the world. We attacked twice in the Middle East using the F-35 (and) we are the first in the world to do so. The Israeli Air Force is a pioneer and a world leader in operating air power." He did not specify the targets.(This article by Dario Leone originally appeared on The Aviation Geek Club in 2018.)"Israel launched world's first air strike using F-35 stealth fighters," IAF chief says"You know that we just won the Eurovision with the song 'Toy.' Well, the F-35 is not a toy," he said.According BBC, Israel's claim to have used it in an operational strike even before the Americans may be designed as a further show of military strength, since it is believed that elite Iranian forces are trying to entrench themselves in Syria to threaten Israel.
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| Fire and fury: With missile launch, North Korea shows ire at neighbor Posted: 26 Jul 2019 01:51 AM PDT |
| Trump denies tariff exemption for the Mac Pro, tells Apple to ‘make them in the USA’ Posted: 26 Jul 2019 07:10 PM PDT  Donald Trump took to Twitter earlier today and said that Apple will not get a tariff waiver for its forthcoming Mac Pro. Apple, if you recall, petitioned the Office of the United States Trade Representative for an exemption earlier this month after the company opted to shift production from Texas to China. The tariff in question would subject the Mac Pro to a 25% duty tax on select components and parts."Apple will not be given Tariff waiver, or relief, for Mac Pro parts that are made in China," Trump's tweet reads. "Make them in the USA, no Tariffs!"Incidentally, some other Apple products have managed to avoid Trump's tariffs, with AirPods and the Apple Watch being two prime exceptions.According to previous remarks from Trump, exemptions will be available when companies show that key parts for products in question can only be obtained in China and are not "strategically important" to Chinese industrial programs. Apple tried to argue as much in its filing with the U.S. Trade Representative's Office, but Trump apparently didn't find it sufficiently persuasive.Apple previously manufactured the trash can Mac Pro in Texas, making it the only major Apple device made in the United States. Production problems, though, prompted Apple to revert manufacturing back to China with respect to the new cheese grater Mac Pro. If you recall, a New York Times piece revealed that production in Texas was plagued by even simple problems, with an insufficient supply of screws being a prime example.The new Mac Pro is slated to launch later this year at a base price of $5,999.
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| Airline asks two strangers to share hotel room with one bed after missing flight Posted: 27 Jul 2019 02:45 AM PDT  An airline has been asked to apologise after offering two strangers who had missed their flights an overnight stay in a room with a single bed.Elizabeth Coffi Tabu, 71, had been due to return to Paris on 19 July after spending a month with her family in Canada.However, when she missed the second leg of her journey from Montreal after her first flight was delayed, she was offered an overnight stay with another passenger - a 35-year-old man she had never met before.Speaking to CNN, Coffi Tabu's daughter Jerryne Mahele Nyota said: "My mother told the Air Canada agent, 'I don't know this man. We are not a couple,' - but they said there was only one room."She added that her mother, who makes the trip out to North America every year, struggled to make her connection as she was currently a wheelchair user following a run of cancer treatment.Upon discovering the room only had a single bed for them to sleep in, the man offered to spend the night on the sofa.Ms Mahele Nyota added: "He was a perfect gentleman but I obviously felt uncomfortable with my mom spending a night with a man half her age, a man that's a total stranger."After several hours Ms Mahele Nyota was able to arrange for another hotel room for her mother, who received two $10 (£8) food vouchers for her flight and a seat with additional leg room from the airline after explaining her ordeal.She was returned to Paris almost 24 hours after her scheduled arrival time.Mahele Nyota has since called on the airline to apologise, and expressed concern that vulnerable people unable to ask for help could be left in the same situation as her mother.She told Canadian broadcaster CBC: "Now [my mother is] realising, how is it possible? You know? And she said, 'It's not fair, it's not fair, they never gave me another option.'"In a statement an Air Canada spokesperson said: "It is not our policy to have passengers who are not travelling together share a room. In this case an error was initially made allocating rooms."
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| Irish PM says no-deal Brexit could lead to united Ireland Posted: 26 Jul 2019 09:54 PM PDT  A no-deal Brexit could lead to a united Ireland as more people in Northern Ireland would "come to question the union" with Britain, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said. Tension around the withdrawal deal centres on the so-called Irish backstop -- a mechanism designed to preserve the bloc's single market and prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.
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