| Otto Warmbier's family make claim for North Korean ship 'Wise Honest' seized by US Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:50 PM PDT  The U.S. had seized the ship, the "Wise Honest," because of violations of international sanctions against North Korea.
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| UPDATE 1-U.S. sent message to Iran after drone downing, warning of limited strike - Iranian official Posted: 06 Jul 2019 11:37 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-U.S. sent message to Iran after drone downing, warning of limited strike - Iranian official]( "UPDATE 1-U.S. sent message to Iran after drone downing, warning of limited strike - Iranian official") The United States conveyed a message to Iran warning of a limited strike against the country after its unmanned drone was shot down in the Gulf, Iran's civil defence agency chief was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency on Sunday. "After the downing of its intruding drone, the United States told us through diplomatic intermediaries that it wanted to carry out a limited operation," said Gholamreza Jalali, who is also a senior commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.
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| El Chapo: US prosecutors want Mexican drug lord to forfeit $12.7bn following conviction Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:13 AM PDT  US prosecutors are seeking to recover $12.7bn (£10.1bn) from the Mexican drug lord El Chapo following his conviction for racketeering and drug trafficking crimes. The "conservative" estimate represents the total amount of cocaine, cannabis and heroin a jury found Joaquin Guzman to have trafficked into the US, multiplied by the average prices of the drugs, according to a filing by prosecutors in federal court.The US Attorney's Office in Brooklyn asked a judge to order Guzman to forfeit the massive sum. It was not immediately clear what assets, if any, the US could seize to satisfy the judgment. A spokesman for the prosecutors declined to comment."This is largely an academic exercise as the government has never located or identified a penny of this $12.7bn in proceeds supposedly generated by Mr Guzman," said Jeffrey Lichtman, a lawyer for the drug lord.Guzman, 62, was convicted in February on all 10 counts he faced, after jurors heard evidence from more than 50 prosecution witnesses offering an unprecedented look at the inner workings of his Sinaloa Cartel.He faces life in prison at his scheduled 17 July sentencing.US district judge Brian Cogan denied his motion to set aside the verdict and hold a new trial which Guzman's lawyers had argued that a new trial was needed after Vice News published an interview with one of the jurors, who said that the jury disobeyed court orders during the case.Guzman made a name for himself in the 1980s by building cross-border tunnels that allowed him to move cocaine from Mexico into the US faster than anyone else.He spent much of his career on the run, moving from one hideout to another in the mountains of Sinaloa, guarded by a private army, and twice escaped from maximum-security Mexican prisons.He was finally captured in January 2016 and extradited to the US to face trial.Despite Guzman's arrest, the Sinaloa Cartel still has the biggest US distribution presence of Mexican cartels, followed by the fast-growing Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration.Together, they are the biggest producers of drugs sold on US streets.Additional reporting by Reuters
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| Italian captain under investigation for rescuing 41 shipwrecked migrants Posted: 07 Jul 2019 05:45 AM PDT  A charity rescue vessel has been impounded and the captain is under investigation after he defied Italian authorities and brought 41 shipwrecked migrants into the Sicilian port of Lampedusa late on Saturday. It is the second boat in a week to challenge the far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini's determination to close Italian ports to migrants and Italy was facing renewed pressure from Germany to open its doors to asylum seekers. Mediterranea's Italian-flagged Alex was met by police on the quay and migrants were allowed to disembark in the latest setback for Mr Salvini's hardline immigration stance. "I do not authorise any landing for those who couldn't care less about Italian laws and who help the people smugglers," the populist deputy prime minister tweeted. On Sunday Mr Salvini accused the NGO of lying about the necessity to rescue the migrants saying that "their rubber dinghy had no problems". "I would like you to be in front of a rubber dinghy with 50 people with children, including several very small ones, and say 'There are no problems'," said Alessandra Sciurba, Mediterranea spokeswoman, told the media. "How can anyone be so cynical and cruel to make political propaganda?" After the migrants disembarked, customs police from the Guardia di Finanza searched the vessel and are expected to report to local prosecutors. The Italian capitain, Tommaso Stella, could face charges for aiding illegal immigration. "We are absolutely calm because we are convinced that we operated correctly," said Mediterranea head of mission and Italian MP, Erasmo Palazzotto. Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini gestures as he speaks Credit: Reuters Meanwhile Mr Salvini was facing renewed pressure from Germany as the country's interior minister, Horst Seehofer, called for Italy to reopen its ports to rescue vessels carrying migrants. "Absolutely not," was Mr Salvini's reply in a statement. "Instead we are asking the Merkel government to remove the German flag from ships that help traffickers and people smugglers and to repatriate their citizens who ignore Italian laws." German captain, Carola Rackete, was arrested and later released last week for defying authorities and docking the SeaWatch3 vessel with 4o migrants aboard in Lampedusa. She will return to court on Tuesday. Salvini last month issued a decree that could see fines of up to €50,000 imposed on the captain, owner and operator of a vessel "entering Italian territorial waters without authorisation". After the Alex reached port, Salvini said that he would raise the maximum fine to 1 million euros. The 'Alan Kurdi', a search-and-rescue ship run by the German NGO, Sea Watch, had also been engaged in a standoff with the Italian government and changed route. On Sunday it was heading to Malta with 65 migrants on board but the Maltese government has not yet decided whether it will allow the vessel to dock there. Pope Francis is due to hold a mass for migrants and refugees at St. Peter's Basilica on Monday to mark the sixth anniversary of his visit to Lampedusa. During his weekly audience at the Vatican on Sunday he called for the faithful to pray for the migrants killed and injured in last week's bombing of a detention centre in Libya. But most Italians appeart to support Mr Salvini's uncompromising approach. A poll published in the Italian daily, Corriere Della Sera, on Saturday showed 59 percent of Italians approved of Mr Salvini shutting Italy's ports to NGO vessels.
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| Florida man found dead with 100 dog bites after he took a shortcut home Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:42 AM PDT ![Florida man found dead with 100 dog bites after he took a shortcut home]( "Florida man found dead with 100 dog bites after he took a shortcut home") Authorities say a man in Florida was killed by a pack of dogs who bit him more than 100 times as he took a shortcut to gt home.
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| Biden says he picked South Carolina as spot for apology Posted: 07 Jul 2019 03:49 PM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Sunday he chose South Carolina to deliver an apology for his controversial remarks about segregationist senators because he wanted to offer it to an audience most likely to have been offended by his words. Kamala Harris, a rival for the Democratic nomination who sharply criticized Biden for those remarks and his views on federally mandated busing, used her campaign trip to the state Sunday to praise Biden for apologizing. South Carolina looms large over the early months of the Democratic contest because it is fourth in line behind Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada in voting for a nominee, is the first state in the South to vote, and has the largest African American electorate in the early states.
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| China Likely Tested Missiles That Can Kill Aircraft Carriers in the South China Sea Posted: 06 Jul 2019 02:13 AM PDT  Earlier this week China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force most likely tested a DF-21D or DF-26 anti-ship ballistic missile—sometimes know as "carrier-killers"—in the South China Sea. Details remain sketchy, as Chinese spokesmen have remained close-mouthed about the exercise. The test came on the heels of news last May that PLA weaponeers had installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles on Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef, and Mischief Reef, west of the Philippine Islands. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn told CNBC that this week's missile test contradicted China's "claim to want to bring peace to the region and obviously actions like this are coercive acts meant to intimidate other South China Sea claimants."Col. Eastburn has it half right. Beijing clearly wants to coerce others. But the test was entirely consistent with its claim to want to bring peace to the region. It does want peace; it simply wants to transform the nature of that peace, and force is a means to that end. If Chinese Communist Party prelates in Beijing get their way, they—not foreign governments or international institutions—will make the rules in the South China Sea. They will issue laws or policy decrees mandating or proscribing certain actions in regional seaways, and others will obey. Peace will prevail.QED.
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| PIC's Matjila to Say He Was Ousted to Facilitate Edcon Rescue Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:08 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Daniel Matjila, the ousted chief executive officer of Africa's biggest fund manager, is expected to say his opposition to funding the rescue of a clothing retailer ahead of national elections was one of the reasons he was dismissed.Matjila is scheduled to begin testimony to a special commission of inquiry on Monday that will include his assertion that the rescue of Edcon Holdings Ltd., which supports 140,000 jobs through direct employment and its supply chains, didn't meet the investment criteria of the Public Investment Corp.'s clients, according to his prepared statement.On the day he was ousted, Nov. 23, he met the chairman of the PIC, the country's economic development minister and the CEO of Edcon to put forward the conditions for supporting the deal, he is expected to say at the inquiry. Those weren't viewed favorably, he said.The ongoing inquiry has heard from about 70 witnesses -- several of whom flagged Matjila as playing a key role in approving questionable deals. He has denied that. President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the investigation in October last year, one of a handful he's instituted to probe alleged graft since taking office 16 months ago after Jacob Zuma's scandal-marred nine-year rule.Union PressureIn February, a senior official of the Congress of South African Trade Unions emailed the chairman of the PIC, who was also deputy finance minister at the time. He wrote that unless the PIC supported the rescue, the labor federation wouldn't be able to encourage its members to vote for the ruling African National Congress party in May elections.The rescue was announced a week later, with the PIC leading the 2.7 billion rand ($191 million) rescue. It used 1.2 billion rand of money from the Unemployment Insurance Fund, one of its clients.Matjila is expected to say he was removed, at least partly, to ensure the Edcon rescue could take place. He cited the email, from Cosatu's Parliamentary Coordinator, Matthew Parks, as evidence.Matjila asserts that he and the PIC's then head of private equity, Mervin Muller, maintained they would only back the rescue if Long4Life Ltd.'s proposal to invest 500 million rand in the deal went ahead. Long4Life is led by Brian Joffe, a veteran South African businessman. The company didn't invest.While the bailout would have rescued jobs it was unlikely to generate adequate returns, according to Matjila.The PIC on Thursday denied that the decision to invest the funds was politically influenced. Mondli Gungubele, the former deputy finance minister and chairman of the PIC, hasn't responded to phone calls and text messages about the Edcon deal. Matjila's departure from the PIC "occurred in the context of an avalanche of allegations of serious looting, indefensible investments costing billions of rand and a complete collapse of good governance at the PIC" and the labor federation only got involved two months later, in January, Cosatu said in an emailed statement on Sunday. "Yes we unashamedly championed the Edcon intervention. Cosatu's members have mandated us to fight to the very end to defend workers' jobs.(Adds Cosatu response in last paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Janice Kew in Johannesburg at jkew4@bloomberg.net;Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg at asguazzin@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: John McCorry at jmccorry@bloomberg.net, Gordon Bell, Karl MaierFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Eric Black Jr. bonds out after being charged with capital murder in shooting of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes Posted: 06 Jul 2019 09:03 PM PDT  Eric Black Jr. is back on the street after posting bond on a capital murder charge in the shooting of the 7-year-old Houston girl.
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| 2020 Dems' opposition builds against Trump judges Posted: 06 Jul 2019 04:55 AM PDT ![2020 Dems' opposition builds against Trump judges]( "2020 Dems' opposition builds against Trump judges") Exclusive data obtained by POLITICO shows that Senate Democrats are rejecting the president's judicial nominees far more often than during the last Congress.
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| Tribute or prank? New statue of Melania Trump in Slovenia confounds residents Posted: 06 Jul 2019 04:23 AM PDT  A life-size rough wooden sculpture of U.S. first lady Melania Trump was unveiled near her hometown of Sevnica in southeastern Slovenia on Friday. Commissioned by Berlin-based American artist Brad Downey and carved with a chainsaw by local folk artist Ales Zupevc, the statue serves as a - perhaps wry - accompaniment to Downey's exhibition in the capital Ljubljana exploring Melania's roots in the small Alpine country. The blocky, rustic figure was cut from the trunk of a living linden tree - whose base forms a tall plinth - in a field beside the Sava River in the village of Rozno, eight km (five miles) from Sevnica. There is no attempt at an accurate likeness, to the point where the gallery in Ljubljana appears uncertain how seriously to take the statue. "Perhaps we are simply trying vigorously to make sense of things that might only be a slapstick prank," it says in a leaflet. "Who knows?" After Melania cake, Melania honey, and even Melania slippers, Sevnica, the Slovenian hometown of the US's first lady now boasts a Melania statue, by conceptual artist Ales 'Maxi' Zupevc that has drawn mixed reviews. Although the statue's face is rough-hewn and unrecognizable, the figure is shown clothed in the pale blue wraparound coat that Melania wore at Donald Trump's inauguration as U.S. president. Downey said he wanted to "have a dialogue with my country's political situation" and highlight Melania Trump's status as an immigrant married to a president sworn to reduce immigration. The sculptor, known as Maxi, was born in the same hospital as Melania Trump, in the same month, and now mostly works as a pipe-layer. "Let's face it," he says in a short film being shown as part of the exhibition, "she owns half of America while I have nothing."
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| UPDATE 1-Macron warns Rouhani of consequences if nuclear deal weakened Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:46 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Macron warns Rouhani of consequences if nuclear deal weakened]( "UPDATE 1-Macron warns Rouhani of consequences if nuclear deal weakened") French President Emmanuel Macron told his Iranian counterpart on Saturday that he was deeply concerned by any further weakening of the 2015 nuclear deal and warned that consequences would inevitably follow any such move. Macron spoke to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani a day before Iran is set to increase uranium enrichment purity above the limit set by Iran's deal with world powers. "The president recalled his deep concern in the face of the risk of a new weakening of the 2015 nuclear accord, and the consequences that would necessarily follow," a statement from the French presidency said.
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| Iran denies tanker detained by UK was headed to Syria Posted: 06 Jul 2019 05:09 PM PDT  Iran denied Sunday that an oil tanker detained by Britain in Gibraltar was carrying crude to Syria, which would put it in violation of EU sanctions. "The tanker was carrying Iran's oil... Contrary to what the British government claims, its destination was not Syria," said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a press conference in Tehran. "The port named in Syria does not even have the capacity for such a supertanker to dock.
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| California earthquake: Here's what we know about injuries, damage and aftershocks Posted: 06 Jul 2019 04:35 PM PDT  A 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocked Southern California late Friday. Here's what we know about injuries, damage and aftershocks.
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| Ultimate Weapon? Sanctions on Iran's Supreme Leader Really a Game Changer? Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:45 AM PDT  Despite the limited reach of the United States to directly affect some areas of the Iranian economy with sanctions, it does have room to add effective secondary sanctions.The United States, reacting to the shooting down of a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle last week, launched two sanctions-related salvos against Iran on June 24. It layered sanctions on top of those already targeting commanders in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which are unlikely to have more than a limited effect on the Iranian economy. The second set of sanctions, targeting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his appointees, could bite much deeper than typical sanctions issued by the United States by hampering Iran's engagement with the world and damaging its economy.An Executive Order Lays the GroundworkAn executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump freezes all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction that is held by Iran's supreme leader or the supreme leader's office. In addition, the order allows the U.S. Treasury Department to similarly sanction any person or entity the supreme leader, or his office, appoints, such as a state official or the head of an entity such as a company leader. The order also extends that connection a step further, allowing sanctions to be placed on any appointment made by an appointee of the supreme leader, as well. It also threatens sanctions against anyone who provides support for people or entities sanctioned under those designations.
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| Alaska sees record temperatures in heatwave Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:52 AM PDT  An "all-time high" temperature record has been set in the US state of Alaska, despite much of the country sitting in the Arctic circle.Temperatures peaked at 32.22 Celsius (90F) on 4 July at an airport in Anchorage, the state's largest city.National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Clay said Anchorage's average high temperature for US Independence Day is 23.89C (75F).Other local records were set across southern Alaska and come after five weeks of above average temperatures.Shawn King, who has lived his entire life in Anchorage, said he had never seen a stretch of similar hot weather. > The 4thofjuly2019 was one for the books. Several ALL-TIME high temperature records were set at official observation sites throughout Southern Alaska. But that's not all...there were more daily temperature records set too! AKwx ItsHotInAlaska pic.twitter.com/GxcdUaD9ld> > — NWS Anchorage (@NWSAnchorage) > > July 5, 2019The 31-year-old used the occasion to take his daughter, Tessa, fishing for the first time on the dock of Jewel Lake.She insisted on going barefoot."It's too hot for shoes," the four-year-old said.While tourists have been caught out after being told to expect cooler temperatures. Judy Zickmund, who arrived in Anchorage on a cruise, said: "We didn't pack clothes for it".Three other Alaska locations, Kenai, Palmer and King Salmon, set or tied all-time high temperature records. However the statewide record of 37.8C (100F), was set at Fort Yukon in the state's north east region over a century ago.Meteorologists say a "heat dome" over the state is responsible for the latest heatwave, and is set to continue for days as the system moves north.Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the University of Alaska said these exceptionally warm weather events will only become more frequent because of the loss of sea ice and warming in the Arctic Ocean."These kinds of extreme weather events become much more likely in a warming world," Thoman said. "Surface temperatures are above normal everywhere around Alaska. The entire Gulf of Alaska, in the Bering Sea, in the Chukchi Sea south of the ice edge, exceptionally warm waters, warmest on record, and of course record-low sea ice extent for this time of year off the north and northwest coasts of the state."
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| Johnson Set for Crushing Victory Over Hunt, Poll Suggests Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:19 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson looks set for a landslide victory over rival Jeremy Hunt in the race to become Britain's next prime minister.According to a YouGov poll published in the Times newspaper, Johnson is backed by 74% of Conservative Party members with Hunt languishing on 26%.The survey also suggests that the vast majority of the 160,000 grassroots party members who will receive their ballot papers this weekend don't believe Hunt's claim that he's prepared to take Britain out of the European Union without a deal. Only 27% think Hunt would do so, compared with 90% for Johnson.In an interview with the Times, Hunt sought to play down perceptions that Johnson's status as the Brexit referendum's poster child would influence the outcome of the vote. Preparing for an exit without an agreement with Brussels is key, he said, adding that the best way to deliver Brexit would be do so with an accord."The choice on this election isn't actually between our approach to no-deal, it's who is the candidate who is most likely to negotiate a deal so that we don't have those difficult decisions to take," Hunt said.In an interview with the Daily Mail, Johnson responded to a question on what he would do if, by the Brexit deadline at the end of October, the EU has refused to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement and Parliament has blocked a no-deal exit, saying it wouldn't happen "in a month of Sundays."Brexit has become an "existential" issue for both main parties so they need to "move on and get it done," the newspaper quoted him as saying.In the Daily Mail interview Johnson sought to buttress his law and order credentials with a commitment to ensure that serious sexual or violent offenders serve out their full sentences rather than being released at the halfway point as at present. Restrictions on stop-and-search, put in place by Theresa May when she was Home Secretary, should be dumped, he said.The new prime minister is expected to be announced -- and then take office -- during the week of July 22.(Updates with excerpts from Daily Mail interview from sixth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: James Ludden in New York at jludden@bloomberg.net;John Glover in London at johnglover@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew G. Miller at mmiller144@bloomberg.net, James AmottFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Ed Henry announces he will be donating part of his liver to his sister Posted: 07 Jul 2019 05:50 AM PDT  'Fox & Friends' host Ed Henry announces he will be donating part of his liver to his younger sister Colleen.
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| What You Missed at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed Posted: 07 Jul 2019 01:14 PM PDT |
| North Korea says released Australian student was spying Posted: 06 Jul 2019 07:55 AM PDT  North Korea said Saturday that an Australian student who it detained for a week had spread anti-Pyongyang propaganda and engaged in spying by providing photos and other materials to news outlets with critical views toward the North. Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, said North Korea deported Alek Sigley on Thursday after he pleaded for forgiveness for his activities, which the agency said infringed on the country's sovereignty.
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| Salmonella outbreak linked to fresh Cavi papayas from Mexico has sickened 71 people Posted: 06 Jul 2019 02:07 AM PDT ![Salmonella outbreak linked to fresh Cavi papayas from Mexico has sickened 71 people]( "Salmonella outbreak linked to fresh Cavi papayas from Mexico has sickened 71 people") A salmonella outbreak linked to fresh Cavi papayas from Mexico has sickened 71 people in eight states, according to the CDC and FDA.
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| 'Dancing aunties' spark new Hong Kong protest Posted: 06 Jul 2019 07:32 AM PDT  Renewed confrontations broke out between police and protesters in Hong Kong on Saturday evening -- this time sparked by anger over provocative "dancing aunties" who have long vexed local residents near the border with China. In the latest flashpoint with authorities, hundreds of protesters blocked roads and chanted slogans at police in the northwestern district of Tuen Mun, an AFP reporter on the scene said. Hong Kong has been rocked by a month of huge peaceful protests as well as a series of separate violent confrontations with police sparked by a law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.
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| Multiple injuries in Florida gas explosion Posted: 06 Jul 2019 11:10 AM PDT  A vacant pizza restaurant exploded Saturday in a thundering roar at a South Florida shopping plaza, injuring more than 20 people as large chunks of concrete flew through the air. The blast flung debris widely along a busy road in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant was destroyed, and nearby businesses and cars were damaged. Though firefighters found ruptured gas lines afterward, authorities said it was too early to determine a cause. Broward County Firefighters works in the area where an explosion occurred at a shopping center in Plantation, Florida Credit: Cristobal Herrera/Rex "We thought it was thunder at first, and then we felt the building shake and things started falling. I looked outside and it was almost like the world was ending," said Alex Carver, a worket at a deli across the street from the explosion. "It was nuts, man. It was crazy." The explosion hurled large pieces of concrete up to 50 yards (45 meters) away and sent pieces of metal scattering as far as 100 yards (90 meters) across the street. Carver said two of his co-workers' cars were destroyed. At least 21 people were injured though none of the injuries was life-threatening, Police Sgt. Jesica Ryan said. The explosion demolished the building, leaving behind only part of its metal frame. The restaurant, called PizzaFire, had been out of business for several months. The blast also blew out the windows of a popular fitness club next door at the shopping plaza in Broward County. Jesse Walaschek had just left the fitness club with his wife and three children, ages 4, 6 and 8. They were parked near the restaurant and had just driven about 50 yards (45 meters) away when they heard the blast.. The building where the explosion happen destroyed. People I spoke with described feeling Surrounding buildings shake as far as South of SR 595 @WPLGLocal10pic.twitter.com/gd4qLU21n4— Roy Ramos (@RRamosWPLG) July 6, 2019 "It was a massive explosion like I have never experienced," he said. Walasheck said dust and debris filled the air. "Everything just stopped. You didn't see anybody. I just wanted to get these guys safe," he said, pointing to his children. "If this had happened a minute before when we were getting the kids in the car, it would have been really bad." Dozens of firefighters responded and could be seen picking through the rubble with dogs sniffing through the debris to make sure people weren't trapped underneath. There were no known fatalities immediately after the explosion. Fire department Battalion Chief Joel Gordon said there were ruptured gas lines when firefighters arrived, but he couldn't say for certain that it was a gas explosion. "At this point, nobody was killed. Thank goodness for that. As bad as it is, it could have been a lot worse," Gordon said
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| Pope Francis claims US televangelist performed miracle, paving way for sainthood Posted: 06 Jul 2019 10:40 AM PDT  Pope Francis has declared that a late US television preacher once performed a miracle, moving him one step closer to sainthood.The Vatican announced on Saturday the formal approval of the miracle, thought to relate to claims about a baby's extraordinary recovery in an Illinois hospital.The Diocese of Peoria believes that Archbishop Fulton J Sheen – who died in 1979 – interceded in 2010 on behalf of a baby who began breathing 61 minutes after showing no signs of life at birth.One miracle allows a candidate for sainthood to be beatified in the Catholic faith, but a second miracle must be approved in order for sainthood to be conferred.No date has been given for his beatification ceremony, but the Peoria Diocese said it was beginning preparations for the celebration in the central Illinois city.Archbishop Sheen's on-air evangelism made him a well-known figure in the US over several decades, having started on NBC radio in 1930 with a weekly programme called The Catholic Hour.He expanded to television in 1950 with NBC's Life is Worth Living, regularly amassing more than 30 million viewers.The pope's decision comes just weeks after a New York court ruling allowing the American archbishop's niece to bury him in Peoria, where he was ordained, ending years of litigation and allowing the process for sainthood to resume.Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky said he was grateful the Vatican acted quickly after the transfer of the archbishop's remains, and hopeful Pope Francis will set a date for beatification soon."It is truly amazing how God continues to work miracles," Bishop Jenky said.The diocese conducted a canonical investigation into the 2010 birth at a Peoria hospital and submitted its findings to the Vatican in 2011.The Church teaches that only God performs miracles but that saints who are believed to be with God in heaven intercede on behalf of people who pray to them. A miracle is usually the medically inexplicable healing of a person.Additional reporting by agencies
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| Is China's J-20 Stealth Fighter a Ripoff of Russian Technology? Posted: 06 Jul 2019 06:00 AM PDT  TASS, Russia's leading state news agency, echoed Sputnik in noting that a number of J-20's currently run on the AL-31F engine and that the J-20 shares a distinctive "duck-like" aerodynamic design with the MiG-1.44, but stopped just short of claiming that the Chinese directly consulted the Russian fighter's design in building the J-20.As the Su-57 enters serial production in much larger quantities than previously expected, Moscow is making a concerted effort to pitch the fifth-generation fighter to major arms importers including Turkey, India, and China.Over the past several years, Chinese defense media has been particularly keen on following the Su-57's development; their--mostly positive commentary--has long been taken as one bellwether of Chinese import interest.(This first appeared in June 2019.)But the question is rarely asked in reverse: namely, what does Russia think of China's own J-20 fighter?
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| Trump Says Fed ‘Doesn’t Have a Clue’ Posted: 06 Jul 2019 09:58 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump renewed his attack on the Federal Reserve, saying the central bank "doesn't have a clue," and may be sizing up his two latest picks for Fed governor as successors to Chairman Jerome Powell.The fresh criticism is consistent with ideas that the president is laying the groundwork to replace Powell when the chairman's term is up in 2022, assuming Trump is re-elected, or will attempt to do so earlier if the Fed doesn't bend quickly enough to his will."Our most difficult problem is not our competitors, it is the Federal Reserve," Trump said in a Twitter post late Friday. The Fed had "raised rates too soon, too often" and "doesn't have a clue," he said. Trump has repeatedly accused Powell of not doing enough to bolster the economy.Trump this week nominated economists Judy Shelton and Christopher Waller to seats on the Fed's board of governors. While their backgrounds are divergent, both are thought likely to enthusiastically support the president's call for lower interest rates.Either may be in line for the Fed's top job once Powell's term as chairman expires or even before, according to a person familiar with the matter.Trump discussed firing Powell in late 2018 and asked White House lawyers earlier this year to explore options for removing him as Fed chairman, according to people familiar. Last month Trump denied in an interview that he'd threatened to demote Powell back to a board governor -- Powell's term on the board runs until 2028 -- but said he'd "be able to do that if I wanted."Powell has said that he intends to serve his full four-year term at the helm of the Fed and that "the law is clear" on that issue.The Federal Reserve Act says governors may be "removed for cause" by the president, which generally has been taken to mean inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance -- not merely setting policy that displeases the commander-in-chief. Trump's regular assertions of policy missteps may be a way to build a case for neglect of duty.The latest comments by Trump -- two rounds on Friday alone -- came after the government said June growth in payrolls smashed expectations and overturned ideas that the central bank was almost certain to cut rates at its July 30-31 meeting, as the president has urged.Growth "would be like a rocket ship" if the Fed eased, Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday.Trump has spent a year criticizing Powell and the Fed for raising rates in 2018 and failing to reverse course since then. He first said in July 2018 that he was "not thrilled" with the Fed's actions, and the criticisms have only ratcheted up since then.Friday's payrolls report for June shifted the debate from how much to cut interest rates this month to whether to move at all.Yields on two-year U.S. Treasuries previously jumped to 1.87% from 1.76%, reflecting reduced odds of the Fed aggressively reducing borrowing costs in the near term. Fed funds futures, which had been indicating some possibility of a half-point rate cut in July before the Labor Department's data, are now pricing a quarter-point reduction this month, and at one point on Friday even showed that outcome was less than 100% certain.Powell, who has said uncertainties in the U.S. outlook could call for lower rates, will give his read on the economy in two days of semiannual testimony before Congress starting Wednesday. He'll almost certainly be asked about Trump's regular criticism.Beyond that, policymakers at the Federal Open Market Committee meeting this month will discuss whether the U.S. needs an "insurance cut" amid a slowing global economy, trade frictions and low inflation.Powell, whom Trump nominated to replace Janet Yellen and who took up the position in February 2018 -- isn't the only central banker facing political pressure.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan removed that country's central bank governor, who kept interest rates on hold in June, according to a presidential decree published Saturday. The official, Murat Cetinkaya, was said to have refused an informal request to resign.What Our Economists SayWhile the Fed dropped "patient" from its policy guidance at its June meeting, the strength in the pace of hiring will enable the FOMC to delay the onset of a mini-easing cycle until September; but the central bank will still need to cut in order to steepen the yield curve.-- Carl Riccadonna and Yelena Shulyatyeva, economistsClick here for the full note.Payrolls climbed 224,000, compared with the median economist estimate for 160,000, after a relatively weak 72,000 advance the prior month, according to the Labor Department figures. The jobless rate ticked up to 3.7% from a half-century low of 3.6% while average hourly earnings increased 3.1% from a year earlier, slightly less than projected.In a report after the employment release, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. economists led by Jan Hatzius said recent Fed speeches and interviews suggest the central bank will go ahead with a cut in July."We continue to see rate cuts as the most likely outcome,'' with 60% odds of a July quarter-point cut, 15% odds of a half-point reduction, and 25% odds of no policy change."The July meeting is probably a closer call than what the markets are implying," said Neil Dutta, head of economics at Renaissance Macro Research. "If you were thinking they would cut rates three times this year, the momentum is so strong in July that that is not going to happen."In a separate tweet Saturday, Trump said the U.S. is the "envy of the World" after all three U.S. stock indexes closed at record highs before the July 4 holiday. On the eve of his formal re-election announcement, Trump warned of an epic stock market crash if he was not returned to office in 2020.\--With assistance from Katia Dmitrieva, Steve Matthews, Ros Krasny and Michael Sin.To contact the reporters on this story: Tony Czuczka in New York at aczuczka@bloomberg.net;Saleha Mohsin in Washington at smohsin2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Scott Lanman at slanman@bloomberg.net, Steve Geimann, Ros KrasnyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Could the Toyota MR2 Make a Comeback as an EV? Posted: 06 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT  The lightweight mid-engined runabout might return as soon as 2024 to fill a gap in Toyota's sports-car lineup.
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| Investigators scour scene of Bahamas chopper crash for clues Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:13 PM PDT  Accident investigators in the Bahamas are going well below the surface of the water to try to figure out what went wrong in the moments before a helicopter crashed after takeoff and killed seven people, including West Virginia coal magnate Chris Cline. The Air Accident Investigation Department of the Bahamas said via Twitter late Friday that salvage teams were conducting "underwater surveying and mapping of debris field." The department said the operation has been underway since the crash of the Augusta AW139 chopper, which went down Thursday in waters just off Grand Cay after departing for Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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| Nearly 900 drivers suspended in wake of deadly motorcycle crash in New Hampshire Posted: 06 Jul 2019 10:41 AM PDT  The Massachusetts RMV has suspended 876 drivers whose out-of-state infractions hadn't been tracked after a motorcycle crash killed 7 in New Hampshire
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| House panel chair asks watchdog for probe of Homeland Security leaders Posted: 05 Jul 2019 07:10 PM PDT  The chairman of a U.S. House panel asked an internal watchdog on Friday to investigate whether top officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. border service knew about a Facebook group where agents posted racist and misogynistic comments. "Such vile and threatening behavior from agents of the United States government is entirely unacceptable" and "should be grounds for immediate dismissal," Representative Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a letter to the DHS's acting inspector general. Noting that the issue was already being probed by the office of professional responsibility of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service, Thompson asked the inspector general to open a probe into what DHS and CBP leadership knew about the groups and what action they had taken to address it.
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| Organs of executed prisoners in Iran could be sold under new law Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:36 AM PDT  A new law in Iran could see the organs of convicts on death row pre-sold to buyers if the prisoners agree before their executions. Reports suggested that under the new head of the Iranian judiciary, Ebrahim Raeesi, an article in the criminal justice laws has been included which says: "If a convict voluntarily offers his or her organ before or after execution and no medical obstacle is offered, then the judge can approve this in coordination with the ministry of justice and the coroners' office." Iran's Association of Surgeons has strongly condemned the move, describing it as "extremely worrying, damaging to our profession and the prestige of Iran in the eyes of the civilised world". Professor Ali Jafarian of the liver transplant unit at Khomeini hospital in Tehran, who is also a member of the American Society of Transplantation, told the semi-official ISNA news agency that no specialist surgeon in Iran would be prepared to follow the law as "it is immoral and against all the values of our profession". "Anyone sentenced to death would not be in a right frame of mind to 'voluntarily' offer their organs, unless they are forced to do so under immense pressure," Dr Jafarian said. "Members of our association of surgeon will never abide by this law." There is a huge market in Iran for organ transplants due to the vast number of the country's kidney, heart and liver patients. Thousands of people from Arab countries also visit Iran specifically for this purpose, spending millions of pounds at Iran's private clinics. It is legal to sell organs in Iran. According to Mrs. Katayoun Najafizadeh, the head of Iran's Organ Donations Society, currently more than 25,000 Iranian patients are waiting to receive a transplant, but last year only 926 organs, mainly from victims of car crashes, were made available to the country's specialist hospitals. The shortage has led to the emergence of an illicit market where many poor people openly advertise the sale of one of their kidneys to those in need for as little as £200. The only country in the world that used the organs of executed prisoners in this way was China, which banned the practice in 2015, although reports suggest that organs continue to be harvested.
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| Thirteen-year-old girl fought off attacker and escaped attempted kidnapping in New York Posted: 06 Jul 2019 05:24 AM PDT  A 13-year-old girl fought off an attempted kidnapper just feet away from her home in New York. The teenager, who has not been named, was caught on CCTV as she struggled with the man outside her front door on Long Island after he allegedly grabbed her from behind. The unnamed girl told police officers she noticed the suspect following her for half a mile after she left school, police said."I was screaming. Like, I was trying to defend myself," she told PIX 11 new channel the following day. "He grabbed my neck ... He was trying to still cover my mouth."Calling her "very brave", in a separate interview with ABC station WABC-TV, Detective Mike Bitsko said: "She fought off this individual. She fought off her attacker. She did exactly what she had to do ... I'm happy she's doing well." After breaking free of the attacker, the surveillance footage shows her banging on her front door, before a man comes out and confronts the attacker. Police arrested 24-year-old Jarrod James, less than 24-hours after Tuesday's attack. He faces multiple charges including child endangerment, assault and attempted kidnapping. Officers said Mr James, who entered no plea in court, appeared to have no connection to the girl and the crime was random. He is currently being held in Nassau County Correctional Center.
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| President Trump Invited a Cartoonist Known for 'Anti-Semitic' Images to a White House Social Media Summit Posted: 07 Jul 2019 08:47 AM PDT  A 2017 cartoon was slammed by the Anti-Defamation League for anti-Semitic imagery
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| Rattled nerves, minor damage from second major Southern California quake Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:28 PM PDT  Southern California appeared to have avoided the worst on Saturday after it was rocked by a second powerful earthquake in as many days -- a 7.1 magnitude tremor that revived fears of the so-called Big One the region has feared for decades. No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported from this second quake, the largest in Southern California in more than two decades. It hit Friday night in a remote and sparsely populated area around 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, where it was also felt.
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| Bill Gates explains why he couldn’t duplicate Steve Jobs’ magic ‘spells’ Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:04 AM PDT  Bill Gates would like you to know that the reason his late rival was able to resuscitate Apple and take the iPhone maker from near-death to being the most valuable company in the world is that Steve Jobs was so successful at making people believe in an idea. Or, as Gates puts it, that Jobs was so good at "casting spells."You get it, right? It's an uncommonly fantastical metaphor to hear from the Microsoft co-founder, who can get pretty wonky and technical in his description of these kinds of things. But in a segment set to be broadcast on Sunday during the CNN program Fareed Zakaria GPS, that's how Gates will explain why he thinks Steve was able to do what he did and engineer one of the greatest business success stories of all time. And why Gates was able to see through it all, even though he admits couldn't recreate the magic to the same degree."I was like a minor wizard because he would be casting spells, and I would see people mesmerized, but because I'm a minor wizard, the spells don't work on me," Gates said, according to advance news of his remarks reported by Bloomberg.What exactly does Gates mean by casting spells? He brings up Jobs' 1988 launch of the NeXT computer. NeXT soon after gave up on hardware altogether and was bought by Apple less than a decade after that, but even though the computer "completely failed, it was such nonsense, and yet he mesmerized those people."But Gates goes even farther in the description he shares during Sunday's CNN program about the rival with whom he also collaborated on occasion. Gates, who seems to be in something of a reflective, philosophical mood lately during his recent interviews and public remarks, says he's never met anyone as good as Jobs "in terms of picking talent, hyper-motivating that talent, and having a sense of design of, 'Oh, this is good. This is not good.'"It's not a sugar-coated walk down memory lane he shares either, acknowledging that Jobs was sometimes an "asshole." Gates also acknowledges his own tendency toward micromanaging that seems to remain in place to this day -- specifically, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which works to promote healthcare globally and fight poverty. "I'm still clear about, 'Hey, that toilet design's too expensive," Gates says at one point during the segment. "It's a dead end. We're not going to put more money into that."It's interesting to hear Gates looking back on these key players and moments from his life, such as his assertion that Jobs used something beyond technical competency to turn Apple into a powerhouse. Likewise, Gates also recently made headlines by acknowledging what he feels has been his biggest mistake -- the failure to invent Android."It's amazing to me that having made one of the greatest mistakes of all time, and there was this antitrust lawsuit and various things, that our other assets like Windows and Office are still very strong, so we are a leading company," Gates said recently at Village Global. "If we had gotten that one right, we would be the leading company, but oh well."
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| Iraqi forces begin operation against IS along Syrian border Posted: 07 Jul 2019 03:36 AM PDT ![Iraqi forces begin operation against IS along Syrian border]( "Iraqi forces begin operation against IS along Syrian border") Iraq's security and paramilitary forces began Sunday a military operation along the border with Syria aimed at clearing the area of Islamic State group militants, the military said in a statement. Although Iraq declared victory against IS in July 2017, the extremists have turned into an insurgency and have carried out deadly attacks in the country. The military said the operation that began at sunrise was being carried out by Iraqi troops and members of the Popular Mobilization Forces that largely consist of Iran-backed militias.
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| Boy falls nearly 30 feet into a pipe. Firefighters use seat from swing set to rescue him. Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:46 PM PDT  The 5-year-old was unhurt except for scrapes and bruises, according to Evansville firefighters.
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| Panicked diners rush from restaurant as 7.1 earthquake hits Southern California Posted: 05 Jul 2019 09:29 PM PDT  The quake, which initially was reported as magnitude 7.1, would be the largest temblor in the region in 20 years; Jeff Paul reports from Ridgecrest, California.
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| Oil Minister Zanganeh says hopeful Iran's oil exports will improve: TV Posted: 07 Jul 2019 12:12 PM PDT  Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Sunday that he was very hopeful of an improvement in the country's crude exports, state TV reported, in spite of tightened U.S. sanctions on Tehran's main source of income. "I am very hopeful that our oil exports will improve," Zanganeh told state TV, adding that the price of oil was not Iran's main concern. "What matters now for Iran is the amount of oil that we can export," Zanganeh said.
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| Manhunt launched after five bodies found in Missouri apartment Posted: 07 Jul 2019 09:15 AM PDT  Five people were found dead at an apartment in St Louis, Missouri, prompting police to appeal to the local community for help.The victims' bodies were discovered after a friend of the group returned to the building in the north of the city at around midday on Saturday.All five are adults but detectives did not release any information about their ages, genders or causes of death."We can tell they are homicides," said St Louis County police officer Tracey Panus outside the scene on Chambers Road."We got a call around noon for suspicious deaths in the 1900 block of Chambers. When we responded we found five deceased victims."We don't know cause of death, we don't have any suspects in custody, we are just looking for tips, we are looking for people to call our investigators to provide any information they may have seen between 9pm and noon today."Detectives used specialist equipment to take 3D images of the crime scene as part of the homicide investigation. The St Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper reported that the bodies were discovered by the father of one of the victims.Ronald Brewster, 68, said he went to the apartment to pick up his 40 year-old son, also named Ronald, for a family reunion. He said his son was a drug user, adding: "I worried about him and tried many times to get him into rehab."Photographs of the single-floor apartment block showed several windows and doors boarded up. Police said not all of the units were vacant.St Louis County Police chief Jon Belmar said: "It's a tragedy for a community, any time there is a scene like this, when five individuals are a victim of homicide."We need help from the community to assist us - somebody out there knows what happened."
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| The Next Mercedes-Benz SL Will Attempt to Return the Once-Legendary Roadster to Greatness Posted: 07 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT  2022 Mercedes-Benz SL-class
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