| Intelligence community unveils plans for disclosing foreign electoral interference; promises no 'partisan politics' Posted: 08 Nov 2019 01:21 PM PST  New guidelines are designed to enable the prompt disclosure of information about threats.
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| Greta Thunberg shuts down heckler at climate rally Posted: 08 Nov 2019 12:40 PM PST  "I think if you want to speak with me personally, maybe you can do it later," the 16-year-old Swedish activist said to a woman who tried to interrupt her speech in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday.
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| Teenagers charged with murder of photographer after pushing six-foot log off cliff as she took pictures of class below Posted: 09 Nov 2019 12:13 PM PST  Two teenagers are facing murder charges after a six-foot log fell from a cliff and killed a photographer taking school pictures below.Victoria Schafer, 44, was killed instantly when the 74-pound log fell about 75 feet and hit her as she photographed students for their senior pictures near Old Man's Cave at Hocking Hills State Park, in Ohio, on 2 September.
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| U.S. seen as 'exporter of white supremacist ideology,' says counterterrorism official Posted: 08 Nov 2019 03:24 PM PST  After an upsurge in racially motivated attacks around the world, other countries are beginning to regard the United States as an exporter of white supremacism, a senior U.S. counterterrorism official said Friday.
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| Jeff Sessions Senate bid: Can he overcome Trump? Posted: 08 Nov 2019 07:23 AM PST  Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he is running for Senate to reclaim a seat he gave up to join the Trump administration. Will his high profile disagreement with the president keep him from getting back to Congress?
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| After burying last victims, some in Mexico's breakaway Mormon community head north Posted: 09 Nov 2019 03:47 PM PST ![After burying last victims, some in Mexico's breakaway Mormon community head north]( "After burying last victims, some in Mexico's breakaway Mormon community head north") Members of a breakaway Mormon community tucked in the hills of northern Mexico buried the last of their dead on Saturday after a devastating massacre, and some headed for safer ground in the United States. Hundreds of friends and family from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border gathered in rural Colonia LeBaron to honor Christina Langford, who died in an ambush on Monday that killed nine.
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| Fiona Hill Details Relationship with Christopher Steele, Disparages Steele Dossier Posted: 08 Nov 2019 02:05 PM PST  During her testimony, former National Security Council staffer Fiona Hill revealed that she had a three-year working relationship with Christopher Steele, the former British spy contracted by opposition-research firm Fusion GPS to produce the infamous Steele Dossier, but doubted the accuracy of his dossier, according to a transcript published Friday."He was my counterpart when I was the director, the national intelligence officer," Hill told Representative Jim Jordan (R., Ohio). "When I had to do liaison meetings with the U.K., he was the person I had to meet with." Hill said she worked directly with Steele from 2006 to 2009.Hill's comments confirmed a Politico profile on Hill from September 30, which described her relationship with Steele. "She had a high opinion of Steele, and thought he was very smart," a foreign-policy veteran, and one of Hill's close friends, told Politico.Hill confirmed that she had met with Steele during the 2016 election, which was included in the Politico story."That was prior to the time that I had any knowledge about the dossier," she stated. "He was constantly trying to drum up business, and he had contacted me because he wanted to see if I could give him a contact to some other individual, who actually I don't even recall now, who he could approach about some business issues."Hill also discussed Steele's dossier in the testimony, saying that upon reading it, she had had "misgivings and concern that [Steele] could have been played," because "the Russians would have an ax to grind against him given the job that he had previously.""I don't believe it's appropriate for him to have been hired to do this," Hill said of Steele's contract with Fusion GPS. "I almost fell over when I discovered that he was doing this report."
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| Trump on Democrats' impeachment inquiry: 'We're kicking their ass' Posted: 08 Nov 2019 09:28 AM PST  President Trump on Friday continued to rail against the ongoing impeachment inquiry launched by House Democrats, saying there is no need to hold public hearings because he did nothing wrong in his "perfect" call with Ukraine.
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| Harris, Warren compete for support from black female voters Posted: 09 Nov 2019 05:29 AM PST  Kamala Harris got a much needed boost this past week when the California senator picked up the endorsement of Higher Heights, the country's largest political organization aimed at electing black women. A day after Harris' announcement, the Massachusetts senator won the backing of more than 100 black female activists. The dueling endorsements signal an emerging battle between Warren and Harris for the support of black women, who are the Democratic Party's most loyal and consistent voters.
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| Indian court rules in favor of Hindus in dispute at heart of tension Posted: 09 Nov 2019 01:44 AM PST  The ruling paves the way for the building of a Hindu temple at a site where a mosque once stood
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| Hundreds of Indian Sikhs make historic pilgrimage to Pakistan Posted: 09 Nov 2019 07:47 AM PST  Hundreds of Indian Sikhs made a historic pilgrimage to Pakistan on Saturday, crossing through a white gate to reach one of their religion's holiest sites, after a landmark deal between the two countries separated by the 1947 partition of the subcontinent. Cheering Sikhs walked joyfully along the road from Dera Baba Nanak in India towards the new immigration hall that would allow them to pass through a secure land corridor into Pakistan, in a rare example of cooperation between the nuclear-armed countries divided by decades of enmity. Buses were waiting on the Pakistani side to carry them along the corridor to the shrine to Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak, which lies in Kartarpur, a small town just four kilometres (2.5 miles) inside Pakistan where he is believed to have died.
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| UPDATE 6-Iran downs drone over southern port city - IRNA Posted: 08 Nov 2019 01:56 AM PST ![UPDATE 6-Iran downs drone over southern port city - IRNA]( "UPDATE 6-Iran downs drone over southern port city - IRNA") Iranian forces shot down a foreign drone over the port city of Mahshahr in its southern Khuzestan province on Friday, state news agency IRNA reported, quoting an Iranian official. "The downed drone definitely belonged to a foreign country. Its wreckage has been recovered and is being investigated," Khuzestan Governor Gholamreza Shariati, said, according to IRNA.
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| Thunberg speech gets interrupted by rallygoer Posted: 08 Nov 2019 11:23 AM PST  At a climate change rally in Charlotte, N.C., activist Greta Thunberg's speech was interrupted by a rally participant. Thunberg responded by saying, "I think if you want to speak with me personally, maybe you can do it later."
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| 2020 Honda Civic Si, Updated, Is Even More Fun for the Money Posted: 09 Nov 2019 03:10 PM PST |
| A white restaurant manager was sentenced to 10 years for enslaving and beating a black man Posted: 08 Nov 2019 07:27 AM PST ![A white restaurant manager was sentenced to 10 years for enslaving and beating a black man]( "A white restaurant manager was sentenced to 10 years for enslaving and beating a black man") A white restaurant manager in South Carolina was sentenced to 10 years in prison for enslaving and torturing an African American cook
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| Impeachment transcript details intrusion by GOP Rep. Gaetz Posted: 08 Nov 2019 11:24 AM PST  House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff did not take kindly to a protest waged by Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz.
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| Oklahoma woman imprisoned in failure-to-protect case is free Posted: 08 Nov 2019 10:36 AM PST  An Oklahoma woman whose sentence for failing to report her boyfriend's abuse of her children was far harsher than his for the abuse itself wiped away tears and hugged family and friends Friday as she was released after 15 years. Tondalao Hall, 35, left a women's prison in McLoud, Oklahoma, after serving about 13 more years behind bars than her boyfriend, who pleaded guilty in 2006 but was released on probation with credit for time served. "Blessed to be with my family, I just want to be with my family," Hall said as she walked away from the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center on the eastern edge of Oklahoma City.
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| What happened in the impeachment inquiry this week Posted: 09 Nov 2019 05:02 PM PST  Highlights and analysis of the impeachment inquiry against President Trump
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| More Dictator Than God: Kim Jong-Un's Cult Of Personality Is Going Strong Posted: 08 Nov 2019 05:40 AM PST  But it can't last forever.
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| UPDATE 2-China factory prices falter, while inflation soars to near 8-yr high Posted: 08 Nov 2019 07:28 PM PST ![UPDATE 2-China factory prices falter, while inflation soars to near 8-yr high]( "UPDATE 2-China factory prices falter, while inflation soars to near 8-yr high") China's producer prices fell the most in more than three years in October, as the manufacturing sector weakened on declining demand and a knock from the Sino-U.S. tariff war, reinforcing the case for Beijing to keep the stimulus coming. The producer price index (PPI), seen as a key indicator of corporate profitability, fell 1.6% in October from a year earlier, marking the steepest decline since July 2016, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data showed on Saturday. Analysts had tipped a contraction of 1.5% for the PPI.
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| U.K. Conservatives Still Ahead of Labour in Opinion Polls Posted: 09 Nov 2019 04:26 PM PST ![U.K. Conservatives Still Ahead of Labour in Opinion Polls]( "U.K. Conservatives Still Ahead of Labour in Opinion Polls") (Bloomberg) -- The U.K.'s Conservative Party was ahead of the opposition Labour Party as the campaign for the Dec. 12 general election picked up steam., according to several polls published over the weekend. The ruling Conservatives had 41% support compared with 29% for Labour, according to Opinium's poll issued Saturday for the Observer newspaper. The Tories were at 42% last week and Labour at 26%.The Liberal Democrats were third, with 15%, followed by the Brexit Party at 6% and the Scottish National Party at 5%. The online survey of 2,001 U.K. adults was carried out from Nov. 6 to 8.There's a 9-in-10 chance that the true value of a party's support lies within 4 points of the estimates provided by the poll, and a 2-in-3 chance that they are within 2 points, according to Opinium.The YouGov poll for The Sunday Times also showed Conservatives at 41%, which was unchanged from the prior week.Labour was at 26%, Liberal Democrats at 17% and the Brexit Party at 10%. The poll surveyed 1,598 adults from Nov. 7-9 and the margin of error was not specified.The Conservatives maintained a 12 percentage points lead over the Labour Party from last week, according to Deltapoll's national opinion survey for the Mail on Sunday newspaper.Voting intentions for the Conservatives and Labour rose by 1 percentage point to 41% and 29% while support for Liberal Democrats increased 2 percentage points to 16%.The Brexit Party saw a decline of 5 percentage points to 6%, according to Deltapoll that surveyed 1,518 people online between Nov. 6 and 9.To contact the reporter on this story: Madison Park in San Francisco at mpark197@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Sebastian Tong at stong41@bloomberg.net, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Jeffrey Epstein death memes and conspiracy theories are everywhere. This is why they're so popular. Posted: 09 Nov 2019 10:49 AM PST  The theory that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered is widespread and pervasive. Its popularity illustrates our growing distrust in public institutions.
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| GOP Unveils Wild Wishlist of Impeachment Witnesses Including Hunter Biden and the Whistleblower Posted: 09 Nov 2019 07:08 AM PST  Jonathan Ernst/ReutersRepublicans on House Intelligence Committee unveiled their wishlist for impeachment witnesses on Saturday rolling out a group that appears to be more about pushing far-right conspiracy theory talking points than actually investigating Donald Trump's interactions with Ukraine. The list, which Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee handling the impeachment are only required to take as a suggestion, appears to be aimed at reviving old Fox News storylines from the Robert Mueller investigation, including allegations that the Ukrainian government interfered in the 2016 election. For example, Republicans want to call Nellie Ohr, whose job at opposition research firm Fusion GPS and marriage to a Justice Department official made her the subject of fevered speculation on the right during the Mueller investigation. Republicans claim that interviewing Ohr buttresses their claims that Trump's request for the Ukrainian government to investigate the United States' 2016 presidential was legitimate and not an effort to dig up dirt on Democrats."Given President Trump's documented belief that the Ukrainian government meddled in the 2016 election to oppose his candidacy, which forms the basis for a reasonable desire for Ukraine to investigate the circumstances surrounding the election and any potential Ukrainian involvement, Ms. Ohr is a prime fact witness who can assist Congress and the American public in better understanding the facts and circumstances surrounding Ukrainian involvement in the 2016 election," the letter reads.Inside the Republican Plan to Deep-Six the Trump Impeachment HearingsThe witness list is the latest GOP move to bolster Trump ahead of the first public impeachment hearing on Nov. 13. Earlier this week, Republicans moved famously combative Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) to the intelligence committee this week in an apparent effort to boost Trump's impeachment defense on the committee.Other witnesses Republicans want to call include former Democratic National Committee staffer Alexandra Chalupa, who figures prominently in right-wing conspiracy theories about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election. Chalupa has denied collecting opposition research for the DNC. Republicans also want to interview Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden's son. Trump's attempt to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate the younger Biden's seat on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma have played a key role in the Democrats' investigation into Trump and Ukraine. But Republicans say that interviewing Biden and former Burisma board member Devon Archer will help them understand "Ukraine's pervasive corruption"—a talking point popular with Russian President Vladimir Putin."Mr. Biden's firsthand experiences with Burisma can assist the American public in understanding the nature and extent of Ukraine's pervasive corruption, information that bears directly on President Trump's longstanding and deeply-held skepticism of the country," the letter reads.Republicans also want to interview the anonymous whistleblower whose complaint about Trump's phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky led to the investigation. Additionally, Republicans want anyone involved in the drafting of the whistleblower complaint to be called, alluding to right-wing claims that the whistleblower complaint was orchestrated by anti-Trump forces."It is imperative that the American people hear definitively how the whistleblower developed his or her information, and who else the whistleblower may have fed the information he or she had gathered and how that treatment of classified information may have led to the false narrative being perpetrated by the Democrats during this process," the letter reads. While Democrats have said they'll only consider Republican witness requests, Republican Ranking Member Devin Nunes, of California, claimed in the letter that refusing to request the witnesses Republicans want would mean denying Trump "fundamental fairness.""Your failure to fulfill Minority witness requests shall constitute evidence of your denial of fundamental fairness and due process," Nunes wrote.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Judge stays 'Texas 7' gang member execution for second time Posted: 08 Nov 2019 12:20 PM PST  A federal judge on Thursday stayed the execution of a "Texas 7" gang member who was convicted in the killing of a police officer because the state has refused to provide him with a Buddhist chaplain in the death chamber.
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| Former Los Angeles police chief named interim in Chicago Posted: 08 Nov 2019 03:17 PM PST  Chicago's mayor on Friday named former Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck to serve as Chicago's interim police superintendent, a day after the city's top police officer announced he is retiring. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Beck was the perfect choice for the job leading the police force in the nation's third-largest city.
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| US-born IS bride appeals again to come home from Syria Posted: 09 Nov 2019 02:43 PM PST  A US-born woman who says she regrets having joined the Islamic State group has appealed again to come home from the refugee camp where she lives with her small son in Syria. The government is refusing to let Hoda Muthana return to the US, arguing that she is not an American citizen. In an interview with NBC News published Saturday, Muthana said she "regrets every single thing" done by IS, which she joined in 2014 after embracing extremist ideology while living with her family in Alabama.
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| Back in 2015, a Russian-Built Submarine Claims to Have Sunk a U.S. Navy Sub Posted: 07 Nov 2019 06:00 PM PST  And India was the winner--at least in a simulation.
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| China hopes Vietnam does not 'complicate' South China Sea issue Posted: 08 Nov 2019 12:44 AM PST ![China hopes Vietnam does not 'complicate' South China Sea issue]( "China hopes Vietnam does not 'complicate' South China Sea issue") China called on Vietnam on Friday not to "complicate" the South China Sea issue, after a senior official in Vietnam said it could explore legal action, among various options, in its territorial dispute with China over the waters. Friction has grown between the two communist-run countries since China in July sent a ship for a months-long seismic survey to an area internationally designated as Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but also claimed by China. Speaking at a conference in Hanoi on Wednesday, deputy foreign minister Le Hoai Trung said Vietnam preferred negotiations but did have other options for the disputed waterway, including arbitration and litigation.
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| 'Beautiful boys': Victims in Mexico ambush remembered at funerals Posted: 08 Nov 2019 10:57 PM PST  Relatives gathered Thursday to remember the women and children killed in an ambush earlier this week in Mexico.
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| 9 Ingenious Smuggling Machines That Beat the Berlin Wall Posted: 09 Nov 2019 06:00 AM PST |
| Trump is reportedly terrified of any GOP defections on impeachment. He's likely to get a handful. Posted: 08 Nov 2019 05:16 AM PST ![Trump is reportedly terrified of any GOP defections on impeachment. He's likely to get a handful.]( "Trump is reportedly terrified of any GOP defections on impeachment. He's likely to get a handful.") President Trump and his allies have been conducting a dogged mole hunt for impeachment-curious Republicans who might vote with Democrats to either impeach Trump or convict him in the Senate, Tim Alberta reports at Politico . So even before "good soldier" Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) sent shockwaves through Washington by suggesting, first privately then on CNN, that impeaching Trump might be appropriate, "the once-invisible congressman was the subject of constant surveillance."GOP leaders in Washington started "orchestrating a whisper campaign" in Rooney's "bloody red" Florida district so that "if and when Rooney broke ranks, the uprising back home would appear instant and organic," serving as a cautionary tale for other Republicans, Alberta reports. "Rooney knew the trap was being laid, but he didn't bother avoiding it," and when the fierce blowback started, he quickly decided to retire."There is a sizable number of Republican senators and representatives who believe Trump's actions are at least theoretically impeachable, who believe a thorough fact-finding mission is necessary, who believe his removal from office is not an altogether radical idea," Alberta reports, citing dozens of interviews. But even Rooney is skeptical that any House Republican will vote to impeachment Trump.No one in Washington thinks 20 Republicans senators will vote to convict Trump, either, "and yet, Trump cannot stand to be embarrassed -- and there is no greater embarrassment to a president than being impeached, much less with the abetting of his own tribe," Alberta reports. In the Senate, the White House considers Mitt Romney (R-Utah) "a lost cause" and wouldn't be surprised to lose Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).Three mavericks jumping ship "might not move the needle much in political circles," Alberta writes, but "it's not far-fetched to imagine as many as five Republican senators ultimately taking the leap together," sending treachery-sniffing, loyalty-obsessed Trump "an institution-defining rebuke." Read more about the game of cat-and-mouse, and the mice Trump is worried about, at Politico.More stories from theweek.com Angela Merkel leads ceremony marking 30th anniversary the fall of the Berlin Wall 5 brutal cartoons about Trump's environmental assault How motherhood changes the brain
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| South Korea to End Intel-Sharing Pact With Japan as Planned Posted: 08 Nov 2019 06:27 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. South Korea reiterated its plans to terminate a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, a symbolic deal between the two major U.S. allies."Our position on the termination of GSOMIA hasn't changed," according to a presidential Blue House official who declined to be identified, confirming the Nov. 23 termination of the General Security of Military Information Agreement signed three years ago. "We don't think the termination would weaken the alliance with the U.S."The report followed Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's comments at parliament earlier in the day, where she said the decision "disappointed" the U.S., and Seoul would reconsider the termination of the pact if Japan cancels its July move to restrict exports to South Korea.Relations between the two U.S. allies have soured to the worst level in decades since the South Korean Supreme Court ordered a Japanese company to compensate former Korean workers conscripted during the 1910-1945 colonial times. Japan, which says all such claims were settled under a 1965 treaty, responded with tighter checks on exports to South Korea, citing national security concerns. Seoul has also stripped its neighbor from a list of trusted export destinations.To contact the reporter on this story: Kanga Kong in Seoul at kkong50@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Ville HeiskanenFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Boy whose mother joined IS in Syria returns to dad in Italy Posted: 08 Nov 2019 04:41 AM PST  An 11-year-old Albanian boy whose mother took him to Syria five years ago when she joined the Islamic State group returned on Friday to Italy for a joyous reunion with his father and sisters. The boy, Alvin, wearing a red cap, smiled shyly as he was escorted by two policewomen at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport to an airport reception where his father, Afrim Berisha, and two older sisters took turns hugging him, long and tightly. Red Cross and Red Crescent staff worked with Albanian and Italian government officials to facilitate his return from the crowded al-Hol detention camp in northeastern Syria where he was living without his family.
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| UK police name 39 Vietnamese victims of truck horror Posted: 08 Nov 2019 08:05 AM PST  British police on Friday released the names of 39 Vietnamese people found dead in a refrigerated truck last month, including two 15-year-old boys. Many were from the same two provinces in Vietnam, Nghe An and Ha Tinh, which are known as hubs for illegal emigration -- and where relatives have been desperately waiting for news. Of the 39 victims found in a shipping container parked near the south-east English port of Purfleet on October 23, 10 were under the age of 20 and eight were female.
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| The US is scrambling to invest more in Asia to counter China's 'Belt and Road' mega-project. Here's what China's plan to connect the world through infrastructure is like. Posted: 09 Nov 2019 07:24 AM PST  Supporters say it's a way for China to invest in emerging markets. Critics say this is a way for China to use money to leverage political gains.
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| Dad warns parents, tourists who travel to Mexico on the one-year anniversary of his son's death Posted: 09 Nov 2019 05:34 AM PST  Kris Meyer on remembering his son Taylor Meyer who was killed in Mexico.
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| Amazon just announced some of its Black Friday deals—and they're awesome Posted: 08 Nov 2019 11:39 AM PST  Time to start assembling your Black Friday shopping plan, because Amazon just revealed some of its deals for Kindles, Fire TV, Echo, Ring, and more
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| John Bolton seemingly doesn't want House impeachment investigators to give up on him just yet Posted: 09 Nov 2019 04:55 AM PST ![John Bolton seemingly doesn't want House impeachment investigators to give up on him just yet]( "John Bolton seemingly doesn't want House impeachment investigators to give up on him just yet") If the House is willing to hold out just a little bit longer, John Bolton might have something to say. But no one's got much of a grasp on what that might be.President Trump's former national security adviser apparently knows about "many relevant meetings and conversations" connected to the House impeachment inquiry that have not yet been discussed in previous testimonies, his lawyer Charles Cooper wrote in a letter to the House general counsel.House investigators want to interview Bolton about Trump's interactions with Ukraine, but they have so far refrained from issuing a subpoena to avoid getting drawn into lengthy court proceedings. In the letter, Cooper said Bolton would be willing to talk to cooperate, but only if a court rules he can ignore the White House's objections to his doing so. Bolton's former deputy Charles Kupperman filed a lawsuit asking for a judiciary ruling on whether potential witnesses are obligated to ignore the White House's directions and comply with the investigation, but the House doesn't seem willing to let that play out right now.Nobody is really sure what Bolton would say in a potential hearing, so it remains to be seen if the possibility of his testimony is tantalizing enough for the House to reconsider its options. CNN reports, though, that Bolton -- who historically has supported executive power -- might not think Trump "acted inappropriately" toward Kyiv "even if he's willing to help take down others in the administration." The New York Times, on the other hand, notes that Bolton would at least be able to bring direct knowledge of what Trump has said about the matter, rather than just describing what people around the president have said. Read more at The New York Times and CNN.More stories from theweek.com Angela Merkel leads ceremony marking 30th anniversary the fall of the Berlin Wall 5 brutal cartoons about Trump's environmental assault How motherhood changes the brain
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| Heirs of holocaust survivors compete to sue Lehman Foundation over $7 million watercolour Posted: 09 Nov 2019 09:03 AM PST  The heirs of two Holocaust victims have sued the Lehman Foundation in New York over a multi-million dollar painting, both claiming their families owned the painting before the Nazi era. The 1917 painting by Egon Schiele, Portrait of the Artist's Wife, was purchased by Robin Owen Lehman – the son of late the banker Robert Lehman – from the Marlborough Gallery in London in 1964. It is now estimated to be worth between $5 and $7 million. In 2016, Mr Lehman tried to sell the painting through Christie's auction house to raise money for his charity foundation. However, the move notified the two rival claimants to the painting's whereabouts and all three parties have been stuck in a legal stalemate ever since. According to the heirs of Karl Mayländer, a Jewish businessman in Vienna who was killed in Auschwitz, he owned the watercolour before he was deported to the death camp. His family trust now cites a long distant relative, 98-year-old Eva Zirkl who lives in New York, as the rightful owner of the painting. But the family of another Holocaust victim, Heinrich Rieger, who was Egon Schiele's dentist, believe the watercolour belonged to Mr Reiger before he was killed. The Lehman Foundation now faces two separate claims from the Rieger and Zirkl families' respective trusts in New York. Lawyers representing Mr Lehman tried to settle the dispute in "good faith" outside of the courts, but claim that neither parties were willing to meet in person to discuss their positions. Thaddeus Stauber, a lawyer in Los Angeles who is representing Mr Lehman in the case, told the Daily Telegraph: "We are trying to establish whether either of these claimants have a legitimate claim. Based on what they have submitted at the moment, we don't believe either of them do. "I reached out to all the parties individually and invited everyone to New York to try and reach an agreement in good faith. But for the past three years they have refused to talk to each other." The painting is currently being held in Christie's in New York and cannot be sold until the dispute is settled. The case is due to be heard in the coming month at Monroe County Supreme Court in Rochester, New York state, where a judge is expected to decide who the rightful owner of the piece is. Raymond Dowd, a lawyer in New York representing the Rieger family trust, accused the Lehman Foundation of "procedural lawfare" by insisting that the case be heard outside of New York City. "When you are a large, rich plaintiff you can afford to engage in procedural lawfare," he said, adding that the Reiger family trust have been willing to "engage in good faith discussions". The legal action was originally started by the Lehman Foundation in September, when its lawyers filed court papers in an attempt to establish whether either family was telling the truth. The Robert Rieger Trust in New York have since filed a claim on the watercolour, which they say "was always regarded as a special piece of the Rieger collection". But The Susan Zirkl Memorial Foundation Trust, representing 98-year-old Ms Zirkl, claim that she is the rightful owner. The case comes after Ms Zirkl was returned two other Schiele paintings from an Austrian museum three years ago, after reportedly spending two decades trying to reclaim the drawings. Vienna's famous Leopold Museum agreed to return two watercolours, including a self-portrait of Schiele, to the New York-based heiress of Mayländer in 2016. Lawyers representing Ms Zirkl on Saturday denied the "blatantly false" allegation that they have not engaged in good faith discussions, adding: "Mr. Lehman's counsel is soliciting publicity to manufacture a narrative, and we will not engage in that process."
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| Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers charged, student mourned Posted: 09 Nov 2019 07:39 AM PST  Police in Hong Kong said Saturday that they have arrested and charged six pro-democracy lawmakers, a move that could escalate public fury a day after the death of a university student linked to months of anti-government protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The 22-year-old died Friday, succumbing to injuries four days after falling from a parking garage when police fired tear gas during clashes with protesters. Police said they arrested six lawmakers and charged them Saturday with obstructing the local assembly during a raucous May 11 meeting over a now-shelved China extradition bill that sparked the five months of protests calling for democratic reforms.
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| Roman Catholic Priests Will Not Break Confession to Report Child Abuse, U.K. Inquiry Told Posted: 09 Nov 2019 05:56 AM PST  The Roman Catholic Church says it would reject any recommendation that would require priests to break confession to report child sexual abuse.
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