| Trump declares 'major breakthrough' in Syria, lifts sanctions on Turkey Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:30 AM PDT  President Trump on Wednesday declared his strategy in Syria a success amid bipartisan anger over the president's decision to pull U.S. troops from the region.
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| U.S. attorney general calls for counseling, intervention to prevent mass shootings Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:02 PM PDT  U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday announced a new effort to prevent mass shootings through court-ordered counseling and supervision of potentially violent individuals. The effort, announced in a memo to federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials, follows dozens of deadly mass shootings in the United States this year, including a massacre of 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, and another just one day later in Dayton, Ohio, in which nine people were killed. The FBI was given expanded powers after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to investigate foreign terrorism threats.
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| After El Paso and Odessa shootings, my plan to reduce mass violence: Sen. John Cornyn Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:03 AM PDT  No person, family, or community should endure the heartbreak caused by the recent mass shootings in Texas. It's time to answer their call for action.
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| 39 Bodies Including One Teenager Found in Back of Semitrailer in Britain Posted: 23 Oct 2019 05:37 AM PDT  Peter Nicholls/ReutersPolice in South-East England have launched a murder investigation involving a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland after 39 dead bodies, including one that appears to be a teenager, were found in the trailer of a semi truck in an industrial park. Authorities were called to the Waterglade Industrial Park in Essex early Wednesday morning where the gruesome discovery was made. All 39 people were pronounced dead on the scene. It is yet unclear how the victims died, how long they had been dead when they were discovered, or if they died at the same time. Seventy Dead Migrants Found in Chicken TruckWednesday, British immigration services had joined the investigation, which is presumed to be a case of people smuggling, though British authorities said they could not officially confirm details until the identities of the victims are known. Each year thousands of migrants die attempting to cross into Europe. Many sink to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea without a trace. Others die on land and mountain routes. The International Organization for Migration estimates that 4,503 people are known to have died worldwide in 2018, with the highest number perishing in the Mediterranean Sea. Human smugglers and traffickers are by contrast rarely caught and punished. There are around two dozen people in jail in Italy related to trafficking crimes, but the masterminds are generally in countries of origin and difficult to hold accountable. Authorities working to determine the nationalities of the victims in Essex have warned that the process is complicated because of lack of documents in the victims' possession. Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner said in a statement that the process could be lengthy. "This is a tragic incident where a large number of people have lost their lives," he said. "Our enquiries are ongoing to establish what has happened." Mariner originally said the semitrailer started its journey in Bulgaria. Later Wednesday, the police corrected that statement and now say they believe it starts its deadly journey in Zeebrugge, Belgium. Police have also suggested that two different trucks pulled the semitrailer at different times though it is not clear when the 39 people. Records show that it entered the U.K. in Holyhead, Wales, on Saturday, Oct. 19, which is one of the busiest ferry ports in the area with primary service to Ireland. Authorities called such a route into the U.K. "unusual."Seamus Leheny, the head of Northern Ireland Freight Transport Association told the BBC that increased security and checks in places like Dover and Calais have made smugglers and traffickers rethink traditional routes. "It might be an easier way to get in by going from Cherbourgh or Roscoff, over to Rosslare, then up the road to Dublin," he said of the presumed route via Ireland.Historically, migrants and refugees coming into Europe from Syria by way of Turkey have used long established smuggling routes through the so-called Balkan route, while migrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa tend to try to cross the Mediterranean Sea. In 2014, 71 migrants and refugees were found dead in the back of a chicken truck in Austria. In June 2000, 58 dead Chinese migrants were discovered in a truck at the busy port of Dover, U.K. The Dutch driver was convicted of multiple homicides after that incident. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Bamboozled: 'Panda dog' cafe sparks China animal rights debate Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:58 AM PDT  A pet cafe in China where dogs are dyed black and white to look like panda cubs has triggered a heated online debate over the treatment of animals. The Cute Pet Games cafe opened last month in Chengdu, capital of southwest Sichuan province which is home to China's famous giant pandas, and features six panda-like Chow Chow dogs, according to a video posted by Hongxing News on Tuesday. The cafe owner, only identified by his last name Huang, told Hongxing News that he had started offering pet dyeing services after the panda dogs became an instant hit with clients.
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| NYPD officer fired in chokehold death sues to get job back Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:04 PM PDT  The officer who was fired in the 2014 chokehold death of Eric Garner is suing the New York Police Department and the police commissioner to be reinstated. Video of the confrontation between Garner, a black man, and the officers trying to arrest him for selling untaxed cigarettes drew outrage and was viewed millions of times online.
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| Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of ‘Chapo’ Son: Ex-DEA Official Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:52 AM PDT ![Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of 'Chapo' Son: Ex-DEA Official]( "Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of 'Chapo' Son: Ex-DEA Official") (Bloomberg) -- Mexico's government isn't being truthful about the botched attempt to capture the son of the world's most notorious drug trafficker, according to a former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hasn't revealed that while trying to bring Ovidio Guzman Lopez into custody, security forces had caught another son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mike Vigil, the former DEA official, said in an interview.Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar had also been detained and let go when gunmen overpowered police, Vigil said, citing unverified intelligence he received from top Mexico police sources. The New York Times had originally reported that Ivan Archivaldo had also been captured and released, citing people who asked not to be identified."There are so many factors that point to the fact that he was there and they also released him," said Vigil. "But they'll never admit to it because they've been lying from the get go." Vigil wouldn't disclose the sources behind his assertions, which couldn't be independently corroborated. He added that authorities have been misleading the public by playing down the amount of planning that went into the operation.Lopez Obrador said at his daily news conference Wednesday that he had no information on whether Ivan Archivaldo had been captured and released. AMLO's press office strongly rejected Vigil's assertion that it misled the public on the botched arrest. "There's been an unusual amount of transparency, not only for Mexico but by international standards. The entire security cabinet was explaining every detail," said Jesus Cantu, the information chief of the president's press office. "The president himself said he'd testify before the authorities if they considered he'd done something illegal."How AMLO's Plans to Transform Mexico Ran Into Reality: QuickTakeLopez Obrador, known as AMLO, has been struggling to convince the public that his government took the right step by releasing Guzman Lopez after gunmen began attacking civilians in efforts to free him in the northern city of Culiacan, Sinaloa. Guzman Lopez is said to have taken over some of the criminal activities after his father was sentenced to life in a U.S. prison.Initially, Mexico's security chief, Alfonso Durazo, had said the troops had stumbled on Guzman Lopez by accident. Afterward, government officials said it was part of a planned operation. More recently, officials signaled that the arrest was approved by low-level law enforcement officials and cabinet ministers may not have been aware.While the president and Durazo have spoken of "errors" regarding the operation, they've been distancing themselves from it. AMLO, as the president is known, said Tuesday that he wasn't informed about the operation to capture Guzman Lopez.He also confirmed that there was an extradition order for the alleged trafficker and raised questions about whether the minister of defense had even been informed about the operation. "I think the Defense Ministry had knowledge of it, the minister? I don't know. I think so."Jesus Ramirez, the president's spokesman and like Cantu is also from AMLO's press office, told Bloomberg News on Monday that Mexico attempted to detain Guzman Lopez upon request by the DEA for extradition. The DEA declined to comment and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City directed inquiries to the White House press office, which hasn't responded to a request for comment.Vigil questioned why the authorities would target Guzman Lopez for extradition, when Chapo's other sons are far more active in the Sinaloa Cartel once run by their father. "Jesus Alfredo and Ivan Archivaldo are much more important than Ovidio," he said. "Mexico from the very beginning began distorting the truth in order to buy time so they could come up with a plausible deniability story."(Updates with AMLO's comment in fifth paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Nacha Cattan in Mexico City at ncattan@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Former ICE Head Slams L.A. Police for Releasing Illegal Immigrants Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:16 PM PDT  The former head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency Tom Homan slammed the Los Angeles police department on Tuesday after an ICE spokesman testified to Congress that L.A. police were releasing as many as 100 illegal immigrants from custody per day.The L.A. police chief "has taken a political stance," Homan asserted during an interview on Fox and Friends. "He forgot the oath he's taken; he stopped being a cop and became a politician."During a Monday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "sanctuary jurisdictions," ICE official Timothy Robbins stated that the L.A. police department was releasing captured illegal immigrants at a high rate, up to 100 per day, in accordance with a policy implemented by chief Michel Moore."Cooperation between ICE and state and local law enforcement agencies is critical to the agency's efforts to identify and arrest removable aliens, and to protect the nation's security," Robbins said. "Unfortunately, we are seeing more jurisdictions that refuse to work with our officers, or directly impede our public safety efforts.""Are you saying that local law enforcement, if they knew they had a violent offender in custody, that they would release those persons?" asked Senator Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii) during the hearing."Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Robbins responded.A 2017 California law signed by former governor Jerry Brown greatly restricts the ability of local law enforcement agencies to work with the ICE to capture illegal immigrants. The legislation in effect turns California into a "sanctuary state."However, Homan said during the Tuesday interview that California police generally opposed the legislation.California is home to roughly 2.5 million illegal immigrants comprising about one tenth of the state's workforce, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, a non-profit think tank.
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| As teachers strike, Chicago mayor touts $838M deficit fix Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:54 AM PDT  Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who's still trying to settle a nearly week-old teacher's strike, proposed a combination of debt refinancing, tax and fee hikes and assistance from the state Legislature on Wednesday to close a massive $838 million budget deficit.
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| New York City Police Officer Shot in Bullet-Resistant Vest After 'Violent Struggle' With Suspect Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:25 AM PDT  Police say that an officer was shot in his bullet-resistant vest after a "violent struggle" with an armed man in New York City on Wednesday.
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| Corden: Trump may have just alienated his three black voters Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:44 AM PDT  The comics take a look at the latest in impeachment proceedings, including outrageous tweets, in Best of Late Night.
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| UPDATE 1-Kremlin says U.S. betrayed Kurds in Syria, tells Kurds to withdraw or be mauled Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:19 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Kremlin says U.S. betrayed Kurds in Syria, tells Kurds to withdraw or be mauled]( "UPDATE 1-Kremlin says U.S. betrayed Kurds in Syria, tells Kurds to withdraw or be mauled") The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the United States had betrayed and abandoned the Syrian Kurds and advised the Kurds to withdraw from the Syrian border as per a deal between Moscow and Ankara or be mauled by the Turkish army. The comments by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to Russian news agencies followed a deal agreed on Tuesday between Russia and Turkey that will see Syrian and Russian forces deploy to northeast Syria to remove Kurdish YPG fighters and their weapons from the border with Turkey. Peskov, who was reported to be reacting to comments by U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey, complained that it appeared that the United States was encouraging the Kurds to stay close to the Syrian border and fight the Turkish army.
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| View Photos of the Mazda MX-30 Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:08 PM PDT |
| Zero support: the Democratic presidential candidate who refuses to give up Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:00 PM PDT  A two-term congressman's campaign demonstrates the difficulty hopefuls have in breaking through the crowded fieldJoe Sestak is the Democratic candidate for president that you've never heard of. Photograph: Mark Lorenz/The GuardianJoe Sestak, three-star admiral, two-term congressman, and Democratic presidential candidate, strode into his campaign event in New Hampshire last Tuesday to something of an anticlimax.There was only one person there."Hello," Sestak said, shaking the hand of the lone attendee: a woman named Kath Allen. The rally had been billed as a discussion of government's role in society, and was held in the downstairs room of a public library in Peterborough, south-east New Hampshire.It was an inauspicious start to the two days the Guardian spent with Sestak, 67, who is spending three weeks campaigning in New Hampshire – including walking 105 miles (169km) across the state – as he seeks to build momentum for his little-known campaign to take on Donald Trump in the race for the White House in 2020.But it was also an insight into the difficulty that even seemingly well-qualified candidates have in breaking through the noise of a densely populated Democratic field, and the money and effort spent on campaigning that runs under the radar.Sestak, 67, spent four years in the House of Representatives, representing a traditionally Republican Pennsylvania district, until 2010. He announced his run for the presidency on 23 June. Before this New Hampshire sojourn, he had spent three months in Iowa, holding 235 events, driving 17,000 miles (27,000km) and, according to his campaign, "shaking nearly 30,000 hands". He started his ramble across New Hampshire on 13 October, and is planning to cover 105 miles (169km) in eight days.Joe Sestak, a two-term congressman, announced his run for the presidency on 23 June. Photograph: Mark Lorenz/The GuardianSo far, all that effort has had little impact. The most recent polling shows Sestak has the support of 0% of Iowans and 0% of New Hampshirites. Both states vote in three and a half months. A Quinnipiac nationwide poll released on Monday also bore bad news. Of 1,195 registered voters, Sestak was the choice of … 0%.On the same day, Sestak met Allen in Peterborough, the 12 leading Democratic candidates were debating in Ohio on CNN. The audience was 8.3 million: disappointing for CNN, but priceless exposure to someone like Sestak.Yet, to his credit, Sestak persevered with his one-person crowd in Peterborough. He'd walked there, after all – seven miles, from Dublin. Sestak's staff will pick him up and drive him to some of his farther-flung New Hampshire events, but he plonks a stick in the ground at the end of each walk, and starts there again the next day.That same persistence was eventually rewarded at his Peterborough event, when, after speaking to Kath Allen and three journalists for half an hour, a second person showed up. And after listening to Sestak, Allen was impressed.He had answered her questions about senior care, and healthcare – he prefers the centrist Medicare-for-all-who-want-it-style plan, rather than the more progressive, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders proposal of Medicare for All. He had confidently fielded queries from the latecomer, about nuclear power. (He is in favor, but wants to use thorium reactors, not uranium.) But Allen wasn't planning to vote for him, and she was skeptical about whether he will be the Democratic nominee."I don't think he can get it," Allen said. "People want the flamboyant. And he's not well-known.""I like other candidates, I like Tulsi, I like Joe. I really like what Joe has to say on most of the things," Allen said. "But I don't know. I'm gonna see how this plays out."By the time Sestak entered the race, most of the other candidates had been running for months. (John Delaney, a businessman and three-term congressman, had been running for almost two years.)Sestak announced his candidacy late because he was caring for his daughter, who had been diagnosed with cancer for a second time. Happily, she is now in recovery, but his late entry means other candidates have pulled ahead. It goes without saying that his rivals have drawn larger crowds. Some 15,000 people attended an Elizabeth Warren rally in Seattle in August, and her campaign said 20,000 came out to an event in New York City in September.Sestak is planning to cover 105 miles (169km) in eight days as he campaigns in New Hampshire. Photograph: Mark Lorenz/The GuardianAs the 12 leading candidates prepped to go onstage, Sestak attended his third event of the day: a local Democratic party meeting in Goffstown, 40 minutes north-east of Peterborough.It was 6.30pm before Sestak arrived and started speaking – 10 people had shown up – and he had another event in Windham, 35 minutes away, at 7.30pm. He promised to keep it short, and started with a joke."I'm actually in the debate tonight," Sestak told the crowd."Congratulations!" someone said. They sounded surprised."Online," Sestak said. "We're doing a live stream, in a Dunkin' Donuts."Sestak had used the same gag at the Peterborough library, where Allen had been halfway out of her chair going for a high five before he dropped the punchline.As promised, that night Sestak held his own online debate. He answered the same questions posed to the candidates on stage, live from a Dunkin'. Sestak was sitting quite far away from the camera and it was difficult to hear him. At 9.57pm, just three people were watching the live stream on Sestak's Facebook page, and the Guardian was one of them.Part of Sestak's problem may be that he is a centrist, white, older man, in a field with plenty of centrist, white, older men. Sestak's USP, though, is his foreign policy experience and, given the chance, he ties it well to other aspects of the presidency.Climate change, for example. Sestak tells voters the US could pass the Green New Deal – the sweeping progressive proposal to tackle the climate crisis and inequality through economic reform – but it won't make a difference to rising temperatures, given 80% of emissions come from the rest of the world."We need someone who can unite this country and convene the world," Sestak says, promising to bring the country together in the wake of Donald Trump's presidency.The Guardian met Sestak again the day after the debate, in Peterborough, where he had planted his stick on Tuesday. He had 18 miles (29km) to walk on Wednesday, and he expected to be on the road until 11pm. We set off walking east, uphill, at a fast pace, Sestak wearing black hiking boots. He walked across Pennsylvania in 2015, when he campaigned for the Senate – he lost in the primary – and believes the benefits outweigh any potential pain."It seems to be catching a little bit," he said of his campaign. As well as walking and meeting people, Sestak is running a TV ad campaign in New Hampshire."We see people who are seeing our ads. It's coming to a point of once you know I'm out here serving, trying to serve you, and they're interested."'I wouldn't go through this if I didn't think we have a possibility of winning,' said Sestak as he walks across New Hampshire. Photograph: Mark Lorenz/The GuardianSestak doesn't regret entering the race late. But he agrees he missed out on early exposure."Would my position have been enhanced if I had got in earlier? With the town halls happening, I think it would be a bit easier," Sestak said. With his lower profile, his campaign has been told by some of the main networks that they won't book him for interviews – even on foreign policy, despite his experience.He raised almost $375,000 in the third quarter of 2019, a total that pales in comparison with the $25m Warren raked in, or even the $2.3m raised by Steve Bullock, the Montana governor running at a more Sestak-esque 0.2% in national polls, but not a bad start.That fundraising total, combined with his polling, means he is highly unlikely to meet the threshold for the next televised Democratic debate in November. But, marching uphill in New Hampshire, Sestak told the Guardian he had no plans to drop out."I wouldn't go through this if I didn't think we have a possibility of winning," he said.He had an additional 16 miles (26km) to go that day – a long way, but nothing compared with the distance he has to make up if he is to be the Democrat's choice in the race for the White House.
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| 2 Burmese condemned for UK deaths seek Thai king's clemency Posted: 24 Oct 2019 02:07 AM PDT  The families of two Myanmar migrant workers sentenced to death for the brutal murders of two British tourists in Thailand in 2014 have appealed to the Thai king to spare their lives. The mothers of Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, accompanied by other relatives, lawyers and a senior diplomat from Myanmar's Embassy in Thailand, submitted an official petition for clemency Thursday at Bang Kwang prison on the outskirts of Bangkok, where the two men are being held.
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| Can Israel Fend off an Iranian Missile or Drone Attack? Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:00 PM PDT  How good are their defenses?
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| Newt Gingrich and Whoopi Goldberg Go at It Over Trump’s ‘Lynching’ Comments Posted: 22 Oct 2019 10:35 AM PDT  Courtesy the ViewWhoopi Goldberg could barely keep herself from laughing as she introduced Tuesday's guest co-host on The View: Newt Gingrich. The former Republican House Speaker, who led the charge against President Bill Clinton's impeachment, was there to promote his new book, the title of which Goldberg couldn't bring herself to say aloud. (She called it "You-Know-Who vs. China: Facing America's Greatest Threat.") Goldberg began the conversation with Trump's latest tweet on impeachment. Instead of calling it a "witch hunt," the president is now referring to the official inquiry as a "lynching." As the audience groaned, Goldberg shook her head and said, "It's a word that nobody, you know, wants to hear. This was not a good choice of words for him, do you think?" Without missing a beat, Gingrich replied, "Well, it's exactly the same term that Clarance Thomas used when he said he was guilty of a white-collar lynching." No one bothered to correct him that the Supreme Court justice actually used the term "high-tech lynching" to describe the sexual harassment allegations leveled against him by Anita Hill during his confirmation hearings. Asked by Goldberg if it was "right then," Gingrich said, "I think it was right, sure." Then he urged the co-hosts to "put yourself for a second in Trump's shoes," painting the president as an upstanding do-gooder who just can't catch a break. "I think part of what you have is a guy here who's just really deeply frustrated that no matter where he turns, you know, the fight keeps going on," he said.Stephen Colbert to Newt Gingrich: 'Grabbing' a Woman is 'Not Sex, It's Assault'The conversation drifted away from the "lynching" comment for a few moments, but then Goldberg brought it back. "Listen, Newt, you and I have known each other a long time," she said, "and when a giant six-foot white guy says I'm being lynched here, you understand why it's a little bit like, listen man, you're not being lynched here, you are being held to the standard we're supposed to be holding every president to." In response, Gingrich announced that he was going to be "very politically incorrect" before arguing that "most of the early American movies on lynching were about lynching white people." "You know, it may not be a totally black experience," Goldberg allowed, "but we're kind of the only folks that didn't come out from under the experience that was put on us, as you well know." After some further pressing, Gingrich ultimately admitted that he did not actually think it was appropriate for Trump to use the word "lynching" but was instead reflexively defending his team. "No, look, I've been comfortable just calling it a witch hunt and a kangaroo court and things like that, I haven't gone up to that next level." Rand Paul Goes Down in Flames on 'The View': 'Don't Mansplain!'Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Sen. Lindsey Graham and a Fox News contributor threw a Hail Mary to keep US troops in Syria Posted: 22 Oct 2019 11:45 AM PDT  The duo attempted to persuade Trump to keep a contingency force in Syria to help defend oil fields from Iranian interests, NBC News reported.
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| 2020 BMW M340i vs. 2020 Genesis G70 in Photos Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:30 AM PDT |
| 'Johnny Reb' no longer welcome in Norfolk: Virginia city gets OK to move Confederate statue Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:56 AM PDT  Virginia's attorney general says the city of Norfolk can move its "Johnny Reb" Confederate statue from a busy downtown intersection to a cemetery
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| Rep. Ilhan Omar condemns North Dakota state senator's Facebook post Posted: 22 Oct 2019 10:10 AM PDT  Rep. Ilhan Omar has condemned a Republican state senator from North Dakota who posted a long-debunked photo on his Facebook page that purports to show the Minnesota Democrat holding a weapon at an al-Qaida training camp.
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| Democrat Buttigieg used marijuana 'a handful of times' Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:45 AM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday that he's used marijuana "a handful of times a long time ago," and that it's time for the U.S. to legalize marijuana. Buttigieg, speaking to reporters after touring a legal pot dispensary in suburban Las Vegas, was asked about whether he'd ever used marijuana. A handful of times a long time ago," he said.
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| A vegan said he felt 'betrayed' and got sick after Domino's mistakenly served him pizza with real ham Posted: 22 Oct 2019 09:23 AM PDT  Accidentally eating meat can be upsetting, but in most cases it won't cause any physical harm, a nutritionist told Insider.
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| America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims Posted: 23 Oct 2019 02:55 AM PDT ![America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims]( "America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims") You're in your bed and you wake up with a black bag over your head. When you can see again you have no idea where you are: exposed concrete room, very cold. You're forced to perform manual labor, to attend talks on patriotism, to learn a new language, to sing inane songs. You are beaten -- for refusing to eat pork, for sending messages on a phone you don't have and wouldn't even know how to use, for refusing to confess to crimes you have not committed, for confessing to crimes you have not committed, for any offense at all or none. If you are under the age of 35, you are raped, often by more than one person at a time; if you are a woman and become pregnant you will be forced to have an abortion, perhaps more than once. Or you may have a contraceptive device inserted inside you against your will. No sleep, and you stink. Then there are the drugs that are supposed to protect you from the flu and AIDS; these weaken your cognitive faculties and lead to the end of menstruation and sterilization. If you are actually sick with a condition like diabetes you will receive no treatment. And it could be worse: You could be brought to the black room, where you will be be electrocuted and made to sit on a bed of nails and have your fingernails ripped out, even though the black room officially doesn't exist and talking about it is forbidden. All of this is carried out by a sinister body with administrative and military as well as economic authority over an entire region; it is known only as "The Corps."This is not a summary of a dystopian novel or a pitch for a new Hulu original series. It is a description of the conditions under which perhaps as many as a million Uighur Muslims live in China in 2019. China, in case you had forgotten, is the United States' largest trading partner, the country whose achievements in everything from infrastructure to STEM education we are supposed to be fawning over, the country our president is an idiot for wanting to tangle with, and prominent sports figures are officially not allowed to criticize. In the last six or so years they have created hell on Earth for the country's largest Turkic ethnic minority group in the ostensibly autonomous Xinjiang region.And no one particularly cares, least of all in the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized China's treatment of the Uighurs earlier this month, but it was in the context of a ludicrous comparison with Iran and Pakistan. There was no indication during a Cabinet meeting on Monday that President Trump or anyone else involved in the ongoing trade talks intends to do anything about the issue, which was not mentioned either by the president or by Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary.I cannot believe I am typing this about a man who eight years ago said he would be walking on Mars by now, but Newt Gingrich is absolutely right. Our leaders are not prepared to deal with China. Not only do they lack the cunning and the willpower -- they lack the requisite bargaining tools. We are in too deep, and China knows it. Any concession we could possibly demand of them will require a corresponding one that we are unable to grant.Besides, it is not clear to me that a substantial number of Americans particularly wants to see our relations with China change. We are happy to buy cheap water bottles and Halloween decorations and licensed cartoon merchandise and mobile phones. We want our movies shown in Chinese theaters and our sports leagues to have large Chinese fan bases. From our home in this consumer paradise hell looks impossibly remote."I will never forget the camp," says Sayragul Sauytbay, a former teacher in one of the Uighur camps now living in Sweden. "I cannot forget the eyes of the prisoners, expecting me to do something for them. They are innocent. I have to tell their story, to tell about the darkness they are in, about their suffering. The world must find a solution so that my people can live in peace. The democratic governments must do all they can to make China stop doing what it is doing in Xinjiang."Indeed they must. But they will not if their citizens and leaders alike care more about stock prices and Cyber Monday deals than they do about torture, rape, and Mengelean experimentation on human bodies and brains.Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here.
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| Northern Ireland woman acquitted of buying abortion pills for daughter following a landmark law change Posted: 23 Oct 2019 06:17 AM PDT  A Northern Ireland woman acquitted of buying abortion pills for her daughter following a landmark law change has expressed relief she can now "finally move on with her life". A judge directed a jury at Belfast Crown Court to find the 39-year-old mother not guilty following the decriminalisation of abortion in the region earlier this week. With the law change including a direction that any ongoing prosecutions were discontinued, the Crown offered no evidence to the court on Wednesday morning. The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons to protect the identity of her daughter, could have faced a potential five-year jail term if she had been convicted of securing pills for her then 15-year-old daughter in 2013. The mother had been charged with two counts of procuring and supplying the abortion drugs with the intent to procure a miscarriage, contrary to the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. The relevant sections of the 19th-century legislation fell away at midnight on Monday when abortion was decriminalised. Abortion milestones in the United Kingdom The move came as a result of legislation passed at Westminster in the ongoing absence of a powersharing executive in Belfast. Following the verdict, the woman at the centre of the controversial case hailed the law change. "My emotions are all over the place and I find it hard to put into words how I am feeling," she said in a statement. "For the first time in six years I can go back to being the mother I was, without the weight of this hanging over me every minute of every day, and I can finally move on with my life. "I am so thankful that the change in the law will allow other women and girls to deal with matters like this privately in their own family circle." Earlier judge David McFarland said that, despite the law being repealed, he was required to go through the legal formalities and swear in a jury. He explained the law changes to the jury of eight men and four women. "Some of you may be aware that the law was changed in Northern Ireland at midnight on Monday whereby the sections under which she was charged were repealed," he said. "In addition to that, Parliament directed that any ongoing charges in relation to those sections should be discontinued." Emotions run high as bitter divides are laid bare in Ireland's abortion referendum The judge said for those reasons the prosecution would not proceed. Crown barrister Kate McKay also referenced the terms of new law as she confirmed the end of the prosecution. "The prosecution offers no evidence in this case," she said. The judge then told jurors to find the accused "not guilty by direction". He then confirmed the woman was formally discharged by the court. While no evidence was presented during the criminal proceedings, the circumstances of the case were outlined last year in a separate High Court challenge taken by the woman. Judgment has yet to be delivered in that judicial review, in which the mother claimed the decision to prosecute her contravened her human rights. During those proceedings, the woman's barrister told the court her daughter was "extremely vulnerable" at the time of her pregnancy, claiming her then ex-boyfriend was "physically and emotionally abusive" toward her. The lawyer said the GCSE student had gone to her local doctor a week after taking the abortion medication. Her court heard she was subsequently referred to a mental health counselling service, which in turn informed Social Services. Social Services then alerted the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Young women with partners are the most likely to seek UK abortions The barrister told the High Court investigating police officers then arrived at the child's school and removed her from a classroom to speak to her in the absence of her parents. After her acquittal on Wednesday, the woman's solicitor, Jemma Conlon, of Chambers Solicitors, said: "Today is a day of immense relief for my client, who now finds herself free from the burden of this prosecution that has been in her life for six years. "It is a day that she will forever remember and a day that allows her to finally move on with her life privately without anguish and criminalisation." Outside court, Grainne Teggart, from Amnesty International, which had been supporting the woman, said the outcome was evidence of a new "compassionate" legal framework in Northern Ireland. "Today we are relieved that she can go back to being a mother," she said. "What we are seeing today is our new abortion law taking effect. No longer will women be hauled through the courts and treated as criminals for accessing this healthcare service. "This is the beginning of a new era for Northern Ireland - a more caring and compassionate Northern Ireland. This mother is now free to move on from this ordeal and go back to her family." The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019 which decriminalised abortion also paved the way for the introduction of same-sex marriage in the region, with the first weddings expected in February. The Act also includes provisions for a new pension paid to injured victims of the Troubles.
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| Russian forces patrol Syrian-Turkish border Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:53 AM PDT  Russian forces in Syria conducted their first patrols near the Turkish border Wednesday to ensure Kurdish fighters withdraw under a deal between Moscow and Ankara ousting them from the minority's entire heartland. US President Donald Trump hailed the agreement as a "big success" and announced his administration was lifting sanctions it had imposed on Turkey after it launched its offensive against Kurdish armed groups earlier this month. Kurdish forces, who previously controlled nearly a third of Syria, have lost almost everything under the deal, which sees Turkey remain fully deployed in an Arab-majority area that was the main target of its two-week offensive.
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| A Fast-Moving Wildfire in Sonoma County Shows No Signs of Slowing. Here's What to Know Posted: 24 Oct 2019 03:06 AM PDT  Residents of the Northern California county were forced to evacuate as the rapidly burning Kincade Fire fanned southwards
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| Taiwanese Opposition to Political Union With China Surges Posted: 24 Oct 2019 05:01 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The number of Taiwanese opposed to a Hong Kong-style political union with China has surged this year as ongoing violent protests in the former British colony raise concerns about Beijing's rule across the region.Nearly 90% of Taiwan's public opposes unification with China under the "one country, two systems" model adopted by Hong Kong when it returned to Beijing's rule in 1997, according to a survey published by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council Thursday. That's an increase of 13.9% percentage points since January to 89.3%.The months-long protests in the city not only raised concerns among Taiwanese people about Hong Kong-style rule, but also gave Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen a noticeable boost in public support. Tsai, who is seeking a second term in January, refuses to endorse Beijing's bottom line that both sides belong to "one China."Before the pro-democracy protests erupted in Hong Kong, Tsai still lagged challenger Han Kuo-yu of the pro-China opposition Kuomintang by double digits in most opinion polls. Since August, she began leading.Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council conducted the survey about Hong Kong-style rule between Oct. 17-21. It involved 1,073 Taiwan citizens aged 20 years or older, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.99%. The same question was asked in surveys in January, March, May and July this year.\--With assistance from Miaojung Lin.To contact the reporter on this story: Chinmei Sung in Taipei at csung4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Samson Ellis at sellis29@bloomberg.net, Ryan Lovdahl, Denise WeeFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| "A better life somewhere else": Europe-bound African migrants wait in Rwanda Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:54 AM PDT !["A better life somewhere else": Europe-bound African migrants wait in Rwanda]( "\"A better life somewhere else\": Europe-bound African migrants wait in Rwanda") At the United Nations emergency transit centre next to a serene lake south of Rwanda's capital on Wednesday, the quiet mood was broken by the sobs of a group of female migrants from Ethiopia. "They were evacuated from Libya but they don't want to live here," said a U.N. refugee agency translator. "Brighter future is not only resettlement in Europe," said Elise Villechalane, a UNCHR spokeswoman in Rwanda.
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| The Balkans fuse Posted: 23 Oct 2019 07:56 AM PDT ![The Balkans fuse]( "The Balkans fuse") Three nations in what was once Europe's powder keg set plans to blend their economies, replicating the "common home" of the EU.
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| Japan's Emperor Naruhito hosts tea party for foreign royals Posted: 23 Oct 2019 07:14 AM PDT  Japanese Emperor Naruhito hosted a tea party at his residence for royals from other countries on Wednesday, thanking them for celebrating his enthronement the day before. Naruhito proclaimed his succession in a ritual-laden ceremony Tuesday at the Imperial Palace. Naruhito and his wife, Masako, greeted the royal guests with hugs or handshakes as they arrived at the tea party they hosted at their Akasaka Imperial residence.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked Mark Zuckerberg how big a lie she could buy on Facebook Posted: 24 Oct 2019 02:55 AM PDT ![Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked Mark Zuckerberg how big a lie she could buy on Facebook]( "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked Mark Zuckerberg how big a lie she could buy on Facebook") The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing Wednesday ostensibly about Facebook's cryptocurrency, Libra, but lawmakers weren't going to waste their chance to question Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on some Bitcoin knockoff. Here's how Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) made her pivot: "In order for us to make decisions about Libra, I think we need to kind of dig into your past behavior and Facebook's past behavior with respect to our democracy."Ocasio-Cortez grilled Zuckerberg on the Cambridge Analytica election-data-manipulation scandal -- Zuckerberg said he learned of the breach "around" March 2018, even though correspondence unearthed in a lawsuit this year showed executives knew about potential improper data harvesting as early as September 2015 -- and then she turned to Facebook's "official policy" of allowing "politicians to pay to spread disinformation in 2020 elections and in the future. So I just want to know how far I can push this in the next year," she said.Zuckerberg said Ocasio-Cortez couldn't buy an add targeting black voters with the wrong election date, but when she asked if she could "run advertisements on Facebook targeting Republicans in primaries, saying that they voted for the Green New Deal," Zuckerberg said yes, probably. "Do you see a potential problem here with a complete lack of fact-checking on political advertisements?" Ocasio-Cortez asked, and Zuckerberg said he thinks "lying is bad, and I think if you were to run an ad that had a lie in it, that would be bad," and voters should know if she or any other politician is a liar."Facebook doesn't need to run political ads; they're not a significant portion of its business," Vox notes. "But the company appears determined to leave its policy unchanged. So prepare for some your-Republican-congressman-supports-the-Green-New-Deal ads from Democrats in 2020. Maybe."
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| Woman doused with gasoline, set afire at Florida Taco Bell. Police searching for suspect Posted: 24 Oct 2019 05:19 AM PDT  Police are searching for a suspect who entered a Tallahassee Taco Bell, doused a woman with gasoline, set her on fire, then fled.
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| Iraqi security forces killed 149 protesters, most by shots to head, chest: Government inquiry Posted: 22 Oct 2019 12:26 PM PDT  An Iraqi government committee investigating a wave of unrest found that 149 civilians were killed because security forces used excessive force and live fire to quell protests, according to its report, seen by Reuters.
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| View Photos of the BMW Alpina B3 Sedan Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:00 PM PDT |
| Rats and Mold in Kushner-Managed Apartments, Maryland Claims Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:10 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- An apartment management firm run by Jared Kushner's family was sued by Maryland's attorney general, who claims the company engaged in numerous "illegal and harmful" practices.Westminster Management lied about the quality of rental units and the level of maintenance the company would provide, routinely failing to address hazardous conditions in the properties, including infestations by rodents and other vermin, water leaks and mold growth, Attorney General Brian Frosh said in a statement."We're charging that Westminster and the rental property owners in this case took advantage of consumers, primarily low- and middle-income families, collecting fees and other unlawful costs from them and often failing to make the repairs needed to maintain suitable environments for their tenants," Frosh said.Westminster Management is a unit of Kushner Cos., a family-run, New York-based business that owns, manages and develops properties and was built on working-class apartment complexes in New Jersey and Maryland. Some of the properties in the suit are owned by other companies but managed by Westminster.Kushner Cos. was run by Jared Kushner before he joined the administration of President Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner's father, has said his family firm has been unfairly targeted since his son became a key adviser to the president. In July, Trump attacked the Baltimore district of Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, describing it as a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess." Cummings died last week.The suit, an administrative proceeding by the attorney general's Consumer Protection Unit, comes about a month after Laurent Morali, president of Kushner Cos., said Westminster had rejected an offer from Frosh to settle a long-running probe into how its tenants were treated, according to the Associated Press."We refuse to be extorted by an ambitious attorney general who clearly cares more about scoring political points than fighting real crime and improving the lives of the people of Maryland," Morali said. "We look forward to defending ourselves against these bogus allegations."A statement of charges in the suit describes "rodents living and dying in walls and kitchen appliances" and cockroaches that have "crawled into consumers' food." Various plumbing problems cause "water-logged carpeting; holes in walls and ceilings; sagging, buckling and collapsing ceilings; and the stench of mildew and sewage," according to the filing.Kushner Cos. has also battled Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, where the company wants to build a mixed-use tower. Fulop "has expressly acknowledged to several people on the phone and in meetings that Kushner Companies is being unfairly and blatantly discriminated against by Jersey City simply because its former CEO works in the Trump administration," a spokeswoman told Bloomberg last year.In New York, the company was targeted last year for failing to disclose rent-regulated tenants when applying for construction permits in Queens. The disclosure is required to protect such tenants from being forced out of their homes. In a statement at the time, the company said the filings were prepared by a third party.(Updates with details of allegations and with Kushner Cos.' view that it has been unfairly targeted)\--With assistance from Andrew Harris.To contact the reporters on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in Federal Court in Manhattan at cdolmetsch@bloomberg.net;Caleb Melby in New York at cmelby@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter JeffreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UPDATE 1-Chinese ship leaves Vietnam's waters after disputed South China Sea surveys Posted: 24 Oct 2019 02:28 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Chinese ship leaves Vietnam's waters after disputed South China Sea surveys]( "UPDATE 1-Chinese ship leaves Vietnam's waters after disputed South China Sea surveys") A Chinese oil survey vessel that has been embroiled in a tense standoff with Vietnamese vessels in the South China Sea left Vietnamese-controlled waters on Thursday after more than three months, marine data showed. The Chinese vessel, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, was speeding away from Vietnam's exclusive economic zone towards China on Thursday under the escort of at least two Chinese ships, according to data from Marine Traffic, a website that tracks vessels. China claims almost all the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea but neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.
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| Photos taken century apart show stark Mont Blanc glacier melt Posted: 24 Oct 2019 04:37 AM PDT  In 1919 a pioneering aviator took iconic photos of the Mont Blanc glaciers. Numerous studies have been made of the vanishing glaciers surrounding Europe's tallest mountain, but the University of Dundee experts decided to go one better in an attempt to demonstrate in stark visual terms the damage wrought by global warming. Using the latest geolocation and 3D visualisation techniques, they were able to pinpoint the precise patch of sky from which Mittelholzer snapped the photos for maximum impact.
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| GM suppliers face lingering revenue fallout from strike Posted: 24 Oct 2019 06:00 AM PDT ![GM suppliers face lingering revenue fallout from strike]( "GM suppliers face lingering revenue fallout from strike") Cars will soon start rolling off General Motors' factory floors after a monthlong shutdown, but the pain will linger for some of the carmaker's key suppliers. American Axle & Manufacturing, Lear and other car parts suppliers rely heavily on General Motors for revenue. The companies all suffered varying degrees of damage from the sudden shutdown of operations on September 16, when United Auto Workers members went on strike.
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| Meet the Fox reporter who is bedeviling Trump on Syria Posted: 23 Oct 2019 01:12 PM PDT ![Meet the Fox reporter who is bedeviling Trump on Syria]( "Meet the Fox reporter who is bedeviling Trump on Syria") When President Donald Trump claimed in a Monday Cabinet meeting that "we never gave a commitment to the Kurds," the U.S. ally recently abandoned in northern Syria, an immediate rebuke came from a source not easily dismissed as "fake news": a Fox News correspondent. "Not true," Jennifer Griffin tweeted. "According to a former top senior military adviser to President Trump, 'We told them over and over 'We are your friends.
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| Japan Has Something Called "Helicopter Destroyers" (Code For Aircraft Carrier?) Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:00 PM PDT  And they might get F-35s?
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| All-women panel will moderate November Democratic debate Posted: 23 Oct 2019 05:21 PM PDT  The hosts said that eight candidates have met the requirements to appear at the November Democratic debate so far.
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| Classic Car Fraud Lands Missouri Man In Federal Prison Posted: 22 Oct 2019 12:38 PM PDT  As the classic car market continues to grow, scams like this are probably only going get worse. A Kansas City, Missouri man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for one count of wire fraud and one count of transporting a stolen vehicle following a classic car scheme. According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Missouri, Travis D. Oberg, 51, was fraudulently selling cars that didn't belong to him, and in the end, he ended up stealing $145,000 from his victims.Oberg had set up an LLC called Maaco Sales and Reconditioning using the name of the nationwide paint repair company to trick his customers. A victim from Connecticut was scammed out of $53,000 after Oberg "sold" him a 1973 BMW, 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL, 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe and a 1967 Jaguar XKE 2+2 Coupe (like the one shown above), and he later "sold" the same Jaguar and Porsche to a California man for $37,000.Another victim trusted Oberg with his 1957 Ford Thunderbird to restore and consign but instead he just sold it outright and kept the $12,500 from the sale. Sadly, this wasn't his first time running this scam. Oberg had been previously sentenced to federal prison for the same type of crime only before he had defrauded his customers of over $900,000.Here are three easy tips to avoid encountering the same: * Pay with credit card if possible \- This is generally the safest way to pay due to the fact that you can always dispute fraudulent charges, but, of course, this isn't always possible. * Hire a reputable vehicle inspector \- Spending a couple hundred dollars up front is better than getting scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars * Do your research \- If a deal is too good to be true (1973 BMW, 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL, 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe and a 1967 Jaguar XKE 2+2 Coupe for $53,000, for example), then it probably is. Also, do a quick search of the person/company you're dealing with. A Google search of Oberg's name comes up with claims of fraudulent activity dating back almost a decade Related Articles... * Custom SUVs Built For Auction Stolen From Kids Cancer Charity * U.S. Marshals Auctioning Off 149 Vehicles From DC Solar Scam
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| South African Airways Recalls Planes for Compliance Checks Posted: 22 Oct 2019 10:47 AM PDT ![South African Airways Recalls Planes for Compliance Checks]( "South African Airways Recalls Planes for Compliance Checks") (Bloomberg) -- Four airlines operating in South Africa were forced to delay flights and ground some planes after a local regulator ordered checks following inspections of a technical and maintenance provider.State-owned South African Airways and its low-cost unit Mango were affected, as was Comair Ltd., which operates Kulula and British Airways domestically, according to statements on Tuesday. Both Airbus SE and Boeing Co. jets were involved in the disruption, according to flight-tracking websites.South African Airways said it will operate an amended flight schedule Tuesday for compliance checks in line with Civil Aviation Authority requirements. The decision followed an oversight inspection conducted by the regulator at South African Airways Technical, which oversees the maintenance for a number of carriers including SAA and Comair."SAA Technical has since submitted a corrective action plan aimed at addressing the irregularities," the transport ministry said in a statement. The move bythe CAA was an act of precaution, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula told reporters, declining to be more specific. 'Airworthiness'"We can confirm that four of the affected aircraft have been released back into service and we are expecting the full fleet to be back in operation by tomorrow morning," Comair said in a statement.Kutlwano Mtyeku, a spokesman for Airports Company South Africa, wasn't immediately able to comment."The delays and cancellations experienced this morning were precautionary measures taken by the affected airlines in order to ensure that no aircraft takes to the skies without absolute certainty as to its airworthiness," the transport ministry said. (Updates with transport ministry comment in fourth paragraph)\--With assistance from Renee Bonorchis and Felix Njini.To contact the reporters on this story: Jacqueline Mackenzie in Johannesburg at jmackenzie9@bloomberg.net;Paul Vecchiatto in Cape Town at pvecchiatto@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Amogelang Mbatha at ambatha@bloomberg.net, John BowkerFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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