| Spurred by gun violence, Amy O'Rourke will make solo campaign trail debut Posted: 03 Sep 2019 04:00 AM PDT  Amy O'Rourke, wife of presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, will step out on the campaign trail solo after previously avoiding the spotlight.
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| The Latest: Source: Mental health reason for 2014 gun denial Posted: 03 Sep 2019 02:43 PM PDT  The official tells The Associated Press on Tuesday that Seth Ator had attempted to purchase a firearm in 2014 but was denied after a federal background check. The official said Ator was able to obtain the rifle used in Saturday's rampage in West Texas through a private gun sale, skirting the background check process.
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| Texas shooter sacked from job before killing seven: police Posted: 02 Sep 2019 09:38 PM PDT  A man who killed seven people in the US state of Texas was fired from his job prior to carrying out the shooting, law enforcement officials said on Monday. "Our suspect went to work at Journey Oilfield Services. The suspect -- identified the previous day as Seth Aaron Ator, 36 -- also called an FBI tip line but made no threats, Gerke added.
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| Cancer overtakes heart disease as biggest rich-world killer Posted: 03 Sep 2019 02:04 AM PDT  Cancer has overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death in wealthy countries and could become the world's biggest killer within just a few decades if current trends persist, researchers said on Tuesday. Publishing the findings of two large studies in The Lancet medical journal, the scientists said they showed evidence of a new global "epidemiologic transition" between different types of chronic disease. While cardiovascular disease remains, for now, the leading cause of mortality worldwide among middle-aged adults - accounting for 40% of all deaths - that is no longer the case in high-income countries, where cancer now kills twice as many people as heart disease, the findings showed.
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| Renewing or applying for airport fast pass Global Entry? Brace for lengthy delays Posted: 03 Sep 2019 12:53 PM PDT ![Renewing or applying for airport fast pass Global Entry? Brace for lengthy delays]( "Renewing or applying for airport fast pass Global Entry? Brace for lengthy delays") The Global Entry trusted traveler program has been plagued by lengthy application delays. Some travelers report over 100 days to renew.
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| Hurricane Dorian has struck the Bahamas, with Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas in its path. Here is where and when it's due to strike next. Posted: 03 Sep 2019 01:45 AM PDT  Hurricane Dorian's path is nearing Florida, where it is no longer projected to make landfall, but still cause 'devastating hurricane-force winds.'
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| See Photos of the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:59 AM PDT ![See Photos of the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S]( "See Photos of the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S")
Mercedes-AMG's newest four-door takes after its two-door GT sibling, delivering scorching performance and speed with its twin-turbo V-8 and racy chassis. From Car and Driver
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| Iran oil tanker at centre of diplomatic row with UK 'goes dark' off Syria after being released by Gibraltar Posted: 03 Sep 2019 04:48 AM PDT  The tanker at the centre of a diplomatic row between Iran and Britain "went dark" yesterday night off the coast of Syria, where it is suspected she may be delivering a controversial cargo of Iranian crude oil. The Adrian Darya 1, formally named Grace 1, would be doing so in breach of an agreement made to secure its release and threatens to become a major political embarrassment for the UK. The vessel was detained by British Royal Marine commandos off Gibraltar on July 4 as it was believed to be en route to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. Two weeks later, Iran in retaliation seized British-flagged Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz leading into the Gulf. Gibraltar released the Adrian Darya on August 15 after receiving formal written assurances from Tehran that the ship would not discharge its 2.1 million barrels of oil in Syria. The Stena has not been released. An aerial view shows a speedboat of Iran's Revolutionary Guard moving around the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which was seized in the Strait of Hormuz Credit: AP Iran changed the Grace 1's name and sold the oil, though it did not disclose the buyer. Since then it has been sailing around the Mediterranean with its load, continually changing its destination port. The US Treasury Department blacklisted the tanker on Friday, citing intelligence it was planning to deliver its crude to Syria. US Coast Guardsmen with Maritime Security Response Team East, Advanced Interdiction Team Detachment 1, during a training exercise in the Gulf Credit: Reuters Washington warned any state against assisting the ship, saying it would consider that support for a terrorist organisation, namely, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, prompting Greece to deny the Adrian permission to dock. According to TankerTrackers.com, which uses satellite tracking to record shipping movements, the vessel sent its last signal giving its position in international waters heading north towards Syria at 5.53pm local time on Monday. "It's now safe to assume she's in Syria's territorial waters," TankerTrackers.com tweeted. It is now thought to be sitting off the coast of Tartus awaiting a ship-to-ship transfer via one of a handful of Iranian-linked tankers in the region, also currently with no Automatic Identification System signals active. It is not against international law for a ship to turn her AIS off, but it is often done to try to get around sanctions. Lloyd's List Intelligence suggested two possible smaller vessels that may be involved in any transfer. Silvia 1, an Iran-flagged tanker, turned off its transponder on August 29 having entered the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. While Stark I, a 159,681 dwt, Iran-flagged crude tanker, took a similar route, also dropping off communication late on August 30. "The fact that Adrian Darya 1 is currently skirting the Syrian coast with its AIS offline, awaiting what the US intelligence services expect to be an imminent ship-to-ship transfer, which will ultimately see its cargo end up in Syria, is politically embarrassing for almost everyone except Iran," said Richard Meade, managing editor of Lloyd's List Intelligence. View of the Iranian oil tanker, formerly named Grace 1, anchored off Gibraltar Credit: REX The oil delivery could undermine European efforts to broker US-Iran talks. The UK, which has been pulled in opposing directions by European and American allies, has been trying to keep a diplomatic track with Tehran despite rising tensions. President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the nuclear deal with Tehran last year, leaving EU signatories scrambling to keep it alive. An Iranian government spokesman said on Tuesday it will "take a strong step" away from its 2015 nuclear accord if Europe cannot offer the country new terms by a deadline at the end of this week, as top Iranian diplomats travelled to France and Russia for last-minute talks. Should the Adrian offload as expected, it will raise questions as to whether the Islamic republic is acting in good faith.
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| The Taliban Scoff at Trump’s Afghan Peace Talks Bluff Posted: 03 Sep 2019 01:36 PM PDT  EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/ReutersDOHA, Qatar—The American negotiator trying to cut a deal with the Taliban that might let Donald Trump get all uniformed troops out of Afghanistan before next year's election says that the two sides have an "agreement in principle."But Taliban officials and diplomats here in the capital of Qatar, where the talks have been held, told The Daily Beast that after Round 9 last week, there was still no deal the Taliban would sign. Trump's man in the talks, Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad, appears to be bluffing, and has tried to make it sound as if it's all up to his boss: "Of course, it is not final until the U.S. president agrees on it. So, at the moment, we are at that stage."Trump and His Team Send Clashing Messages on U.S. Troops in Afghanistan"I think throughout this process we've seen the U.S. and Zalmay get a little over his skis when it comes to things like negotiation details or a timeline for withdrawal or in this case announcing the deal being agreed upon in principle," said one a former U.S. official familiar with the details of the ongoing talks in Doha. "It isn't over and done until Trump says it is and as we know the president's thoughts on big deals like this often change at the last minute."Meanwhile, inside the White House, senior Trump officials are discussing last minute details of the Khalilzad-negotiated deal, according to two officials with knowledge of those conversation. Those discussions have focused in part on how to continue to support the Afghan security forces throughout the withdrawal process, those sources said.But the longer the talks go on, the clearer it is that the Taliban have the final say. They know Trump is desperate to leave, and they are determined not only to remain a power in their country, but to re-establish what they call the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan."The Taliban have been rather rude with the U.S. throughout the peace process because they have the impression that a withdrawal deal is a desperate desire of the USA, not the Taliban," says a senior European diplomat in Kabul. "Imagine how rudely and offensively the Taliban will treat the already upset and isolated President [Ashraf] Ghani."Presumably there will be some agreement in the not too distant future as the Taliban give Trump enough concessions to save face, but they know what they call the "evacuation" of all American forces, whether in uniform or as covert or contract operatives, will demoralize the U.S.-backed regime in Kabul and especially the Afghan military and security forces. These local soldiers and police, after 17 years and tens of thousands of casualties in their ranks, still remain largely dependent on American support, especially from the air. There are many precedents indicating what to expect when such dependent troops see their patrons abandoning them. Typically, large numbers lose the will to fight and they flee, surrender, or change sides. Such was the case after peace talks with Hanoi allowed Richard Nixon political cover to withdraw all American combat troops by the end of 1973 only to see Saigon fall to North Vietnam in the spring of 1975, less than two years later.When the Israelis were ending their occupation of South Lebanon in 2000 they quickly discovered that the militias they created and armed there were selling them out and forging covert alliances with their enemy. Already, Taliban sources tell The Daily Beast they are looking at what Afghan military units—perhaps entire bases—are most likely to come over to their side as the Americans withdraw.At present the U.S. has only 14,000 uniformed troops left in the country. It invaded in 2001 following the September 1 attacks on New York and Washington by al-Qaeda, which operated out of Afghanistan with Taliban protection. By 2010 under President Barack Obama there were 100,000 U.S. troops on the ground as well as contingents from NATO allies. But Obama had brought the American presence down to 8,400 by the time he left office—slightly fewer than the number of troops Trump mentioned in his latest public peroration on the subject."We're going down to 8,600 and then we make a determination from there as to what happens," Trump told Fox News Radio last week. Obviously aware how unsatisfying such arrangements are for supporters who want a definitive end to America's longest war, Trump also repeated his thought that the U.S. could win that war "so fast, if I wanted to kill 10 million people ... which I don't."Such hollow threats only play into the hands of Taliban propagandists who already benefit from what they portray as U.S. disregard for civilian casualties and U.S. Special Envoy Khalilzad's overstated optimism in an interview published Monday by Afghanistan's TOLONews agency could be read as a reaction to Trump's overstated rhetoric of fire and fury.In the meantime, in what is also a familiar pattern during peace negotiations, the Taliban have stepped up the pace of the war in the field to strengthen their hand at the table.Various versions of the supposed "agreement in principle" have appeared in the press, whether as leaks or as informed speculation masquerading as draft documents. Over the Labor Day weekend in the United States, Khalilzad presented the results of Round 9 to the U.S.-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who have been left out of the talks but are supposed to have a chance to negotiate directly with the Taliban as the U.S. withdraws.One supposed draft, which appeared originally on an Afghan television news site, has circulated in Washington and does reflect some of the agreed upon points in the negotiations, according to our sources.From the beginning of the U.S.-Taliban talks 10 months ago the focus has been on four issues: the withdrawal of U.S. forces; assurances that no terrorists targeting the United States (al-Qaeda, ISIS, or others not yet named) will be allowed to operate out of Afghanistan; a ceasefire; and negotiations with the government in Kabul. The assurance that Afghanistan will no longer harbor terrorists aiming to attack the United States is a relatively easy one for the Taliban to make. They were dragged into the war that deposed them by a misplaced loyalty to their relationship with Osama bin Laden. As for the so-called Islamic State, it is a direct threat to their own power. The withdrawal of U.S. troops is supposed to begin within 135 days of a signed agreement and last no longer than 14 months. The Taliban also agree they will not attack U.S. troops "during the evacuation" and "neither will the U.S. have any military collaboration with the Afghan government."Trump's Afghan Exit Plans Are Mired in the India-Pakistan MessTaliban representatives in Doha told The Daily Beast that any U.S. effort to replace a uniformed presence with contingents of CIA operatives or contractors will be unacceptable, but they might be willing to accept extensive intelligence monitoring from neighboring countries, presumably including Uzbekistan, which already has a major U.S. presence. They also warned against an outsized military or security presence to protect the U.S. embassy and diplomatic outposts.For its part, the U.S. has made its withdrawal contingent on progress in negotiations between the Taliban and the central government, and several lines have been included in various drafts assuring respect for human rights, women's rights, and free speech, but always with the caveat "based on the principles of Islam" which the Taliban interpret in their own particular way.Sami Yousafzai reported from Doha, Erin Banco from Washington, and Christopher Dickey from New York.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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| Hong Kong Businesses Are Reeling Amid the Protests, But Their Workers Say 'Freedom' Is More Important Posted: 03 Sep 2019 02:28 AM PDT  The trade war was already hitting Hong Kong's economy when protests broke out
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| Former Navy SEAL enters Yale as a 52-year-old freshman Posted: 03 Sep 2019 03:33 AM PDT  Former Navy SEAL James Hatch says heading to class as a freshman at Yale University is just about as nerve-wracking as preparing for the uncertainty of combat. At 52 years old, Hatch does not fit the profile of the traditional Yale freshman.
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| Venezuela's Guaido in FARC pledge to Bogota Posted: 03 Sep 2019 11:57 AM PDT  Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido on Tuesday offered to help neighboring Colombia track down dissident FARC rebels after Bogota accused President Nicolas Maduro of giving them a safe haven. "We are going to collaborate with the Colombian government on intelligence activities, and the detection of these groups that are operating irregularly," Guaido told reporters in Caracas. Colombia's right-wing President Ivan Duque has pledged to hunt down dissident FARC leaders who last week formally rejected a 2016 peace deal and announced a return to arms.
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| Tropical Storm Fernand forms in Gulf as it moves toward Mexico Posted: 03 Sep 2019 11:04 AM PDT  The low spinning in the Gulf near Mexico has intensified into a tropical storm. It is expected to move into Mexico Wednesday evening.
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| 7 fatally shot, 34 wounded in Chicago during Labor Day weekend gun violence Posted: 03 Sep 2019 01:11 PM PDT  Gun violence over the Labor Day weekend has left seven people dead and another 34 wounded in Chicago.
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| Hurricane Dorian news – live: Mass evacuations underway in Florida and Georgia as deadly storm approaches US coast Posted: 03 Sep 2019 03:02 AM PDT  Hurricane Dorian is continuing to pound the northwestern Bahamas following a catastrophic day-long halt over the island that left five dead and 21 injured and saw the flooding of Abaco and Grand Bahama with walls of water that lapped into the second floors of buildings and left an airport under six feet of water."We are in the midst of a historic tragedy," Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said. "The devastation is unprecedented and extensive."
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| Huawei Accuses U.S. of Harassing Workers, Attacking Network Posted: 03 Sep 2019 02:40 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. Huawei Technologies Co. lashed out at the U.S. government Tuesday, accusing Washington of orchestrating a campaign to intimidate its employees and launching cyber-attacks to infiltrate its internal network.China's largest technology company claimed the American government had instructed law enforcement agencies to threaten and attempt to manipulate its employees. Huawei also accused the U.S. of launching attacks against its networks, the company said in a statement without saying how it obtained that information.The accusations ratchet up tensions between Huawei and the Trump administration, which has accused the networking giant of aiding Beijing in espionage and labeled it a national security risk. Washington has blacklisted the Chinese company, curbing the sales of the technology Huawei needs to make phones and telecommunications equipment."It has been using every tool at its disposal – including both judicial and administrative powers, as well as a host of other unscrupulous means – to disrupt the normal business operations of Huawei and its partners," the company said. Other measures included "instructing law enforcement to threaten, menace, coerce, entice, and incite both current and former Huawei employees to turn against the company and work for them."Representatives for the U.S. National Security Council didn't immediately respond to requests for comment outside of normal hours.Read more: Huawei Founder Sees 'Live or Die Moment' From U.S. UncertaintyHuawei has become a focal point for U.S.-Chinese tensions, regarded by some as a bargaining chip in sensitive trade negotiations. The company is grappling with an existential threat after Washington blocked it from purchasing American technology, cutting off vital supplies from Qualcomm Inc. chipsets to Google's Android operating software. The U.S. has also urged countries and companies to reject Huawei technology in their next generation of wireless networks, telling allies it could put their citizens' data at risk of espionage.Those efforts squeezed a company that had been on the cusp of dominating fifth-generation networking, the technology that will underpin future modern economies. Billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei warned in an internal memo in August his company faced a "live or die moment."The smartphone maker's statement came in response to an Aug. 30 Wall Street Journal report, which cited unidentified sources as saying the Justice Department was investigating the alleged theft of patents by Huawei. The company again denied it had ever stolen technology, then launched into a litany of accusations against the Trump administration itself. Among the claims it listed: that the U.S. was detaining shipments, denying visas, sending federal agents to employees' homes and even impersonating Huawei staff to entrap legitimate workers."We strongly condemn the malign, concerted effort by the U.S. government to discredit Huawei and curb its leadership position in the industry," the company said. "No company becomes a global leader in their field through theft."(Updates with details in Huawei's statement from the second paragraph)\--With assistance from Justin Sink.To contact the reporter on this story: Edwin Chan in Hong Kong at echan273@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Peter Elstrom at pelstrom@bloomberg.net, Colum MurphyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Revealed: How a secret Dutch mole aided the U.S.-Israeli Stuxnet cyberattack on Iran Posted: 02 Sep 2019 09:00 AM PDT  For years, an enduring mystery has surrounded the Stuxnet virus attack that targeted Iran's nuclear program: How did the U.S. and Israel get their malware onto computer systems at the highly secured uranium-enrichment plant?
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| U.S. to withdraw 5,000 troops from Afghanistan, close bases: U.S. negotiator Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:04 AM PDT  The United States would withdraw almost 5,000 troops from Afghanistan and close five bases within 135 days under a draft peace accord agreed with the Taliban, the chief U.S. negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Monday. The deal, reached after months of negotiations with representatives from the insurgent movement, must still be approved by U.S. President Donald Trump before it can be signed, Khalilzad said in an interview with Tolo News television. In exchange for the phased withdrawal, the Taliban would commit not to allow Afghanistan to be used by militant groups such as al Qaeda or Islamic State as a base for attacks on the United States and its allies.
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| Hurricane Dorian: ‘It’s Going to be Extremely Close’ Says Hurricane Specialist Posted: 01 Sep 2019 06:48 PM PDT  Maria Alejandra Cardona/Reuters> Hurricane Dorian's winds have howled with gusts of up to 220 mph across the Caribbean, with sustained winds at 185 mph, making it the strongest storm to ever hover east of Florida, or that far north in the Atlantic Ocean, and tying it in second for highest winds ever recorded in the Atlantic. The merciless storm hit the island of Great Abaco in the Bahamas with that force on Sunday, leaving total devastation. The landfall officially tied Dorian with the decades-old record held by the 1935 Labor Day hurricane for the strongest winds of any storm to hit land. The slowly encroaching Hurricane was moved to Category 5 on Sunday—the highest category on the Saffir–Simpson scale, which classifies hurricanes based off of sustained wind speed.With just 205 miles between Dorian and the Florida coastline, President Trump made the declaration on Twitter on Sunday that 2019's Labor Day storm "is looking like one of the largest hurricanes ever." Later in the day, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R) ordered a mandatory evacuation of the state's entire coastline in the possibility that Dorian sweeps northward on Wednesday.Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist at Colorado State University's Department of Atmospheric Science specializing in Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane forecasts, talked to The Daily Beast about the likelihood that Dorian's wrath could reach the United States, and the devastation it could cause.What are the chances that Dorian will hit the United States at the 185 mph speed it is sustaining right now? As it approaches the United States, it should encounter some stronger vertical wind shear which should begin to weaken the storm somewhat. It's still forecast to turn north just before it gets to Florida. It's going to be extremely close, but at this point, an actual landfall seems relatively low. If it tracks close enough to the coast though, there could still be very substantial impacts including high winds and some storm surge. There could still be a landfall further up the coast in either Georgia or the Carolinas.What does a Category 5 storm entail?That generally means pretty much complete destruction for everything in its path. If Dorian does make landfall on the U.S., what kind of impact could it have on affected states?It all depends on how close the storm gets. It is going to be tracking perpendicular to the coastline when it approaches, so small angle of approach changes could make huge differences in impacts. The Slower Hurricane Dorian Moves, the More Dangerous It IsWhat makes Dorian different from other recent storms?Dorian is an extremely powerful hurricane. It has maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. In the Atlantic basin, there's only been one hurricane with stronger winds: Hurricane Allen in 1980. How does climate change, the warming ocean, affect hurricanes or specifically this one?In the area where Dorian underwent its strongest intensification, water temperatures were near average. It's just that waters near the Bahamas are super hot on average. Currently they're 85-88°F. Hurricanes live off of warm ocean hot water, and those kinds of temperatures are like jet fuel for hurricanes. Sea level rise is likely to exacerbate storm surge, since the background sea level will be higher. A warmer atmosphere means more rainfall, since a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor. Hurricanes may get a bit stronger (e.g., higher winds) in the future too, although there is a lot of uncertainty there. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| South Korean reporters grill minister nominee for 11 hours Posted: 03 Sep 2019 03:31 AM PDT  South Korean reporters have grilled President Moon Jae-in's nominee for justice minister for 11 hours over suspected ethical lapses surrounding his family that have triggered an intense political row and cut into Moon's popularity ratings. At a news conference that continued until the early hours of Tuesday, Cho Kuk, a law professor and Moon's former secretary for civil affairs, denied allegations that his daughter received special treatment in her admissions to a top university in Seoul and a medical school in Busan. Cho's news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul was abruptly arranged after his parliamentary confirmation hearing set for Monday and Tuesday fell through amid political bickering between ruling and opposition parties.
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| Pakistan grants India access to alleged spy on death row Posted: 02 Sep 2019 07:55 AM PDT  Pakistan granted consular access to an alleged Indian spy on death row Monday, sparking claims from New Delhi that the prisoner was under "extreme pressure" and unable to speak freely during the meeting. The consular visit comes weeks after the International Court of Justice in July ordered Islamabad to provide the prisoner and alleged spy -- Kulbhushan Jadhav -- with consular access but rejected India's demand he be freed. "While we await a comprehensive report, it was clear that Shri Jadhav appeared to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan's untenable claims," said India's foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar in a statement.
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| 'Bring on Brexit' says French mayor in row over Royal Marines veteran who left rowing machine up Mont Blanc Posted: 03 Sep 2019 06:54 AM PDT  ARoyal Marines veteran who attempted to climb Mont Blanc with a rowing machine on his back for charity was forced to abandon the device less than 1,500 feet from the summit, prompting a row with the local French mayor. Matthew Paul Disney attempted to scale Western Europe's highest mountain, which stands at 4,809m (15,780ft) but had to turn back on Saturday morning at 4,362m due to bad weather. The charity stunt was in aid of raising funds for Rock 2 Recovery and RMA - The Royal Marines Charity. The fitness enthusiast and global adventurer from Lancashire, left the 26-kilogramme, 2.5-metre long unbalanced Concept2 rowing machine in an emergency hut near the top. Mr Disney, 36, said he was very disappointed not to have completed the ascent with the machine, saying the the main reason was poor visibility due to bad weather. He did, however, go on to reach the top without it. Shortly after descending, he said on Facebook he intended to go back up between September 12 and 30 to retrieve the rowing machine, reach the summit and return with the equipment. However, his unfinished bid prompted a furious response from Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, which encompasses the French side of Europe's highest Alp. Matthew Paul Disney had intended to retrieve the rowing machine he left near the top of Mont Blanc but the mayor banned him Credit: Telegraph In an angry Facebook missive to Mr Disney, he wrote: "Can't wait for Brexit that you stay on your island [sic]." "I have received no apologies and even if it is for charity, it's an aberration, even more so for a soldier of her Majesty. Shameful", he later told The Daily Telegraph. The mayor said he had banned Mr Disney from going back up Mont Blanc to recover the rowing machine and would be sending a bill of €1,800 (£1,640) plus VAT to the British Embassy in Paris for the costs of his men bringing it down. Mr Disney said the mayor's Brexit comments were "very unprofessional, undiplomatic and could be seen as a mild form of racism". Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, sent an angry message to RM Disney welcoming Brexit "I wouldn't litter anywhere let alone a mountain. This is my 13th country's highest mountain with a rowing machine and 21st without a rowing machine, so I have a lot of love and passion for mountains. I would never dream of littering or making a mockery of a mountain," he told the Telegraph. Earlier this summer, Mr Disney successfully climbed Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon and the distance in-between with the Concept2 Rowing Machine on his back. Mr Disney posted a photo showing the rower neatly stored inside the hut. "As you can see in the photo, it is not litter, it is not on the top of the mountain. It is not taking up vital space," he said. Safety hut near the top of Mont Blanc where Royal Marines vet Matthew Paul Disney stored his rowing machine Credit: Telegraph He said could "understand the mayor's concern because there are a lot of foolish people". But he said, he had his climb rubber-stamped by gendarmes after showing them his "experience, skillset, my fitness level and my intention to raise awareness for two military charities, good causes for active and veterans on the brink of suicide." He questioned the decision by the gendarmes to bar him going back up to get the rowing machine as "they had allowed me to go up with it" beforehand after he showed them his plans. Mr Peillex responded: "He's not in his own home and he doesn't decide." This was just one of a string of cases of "disrespect" for the mountain, the mayor said, adding that a German climber forced his dog to the top at night this weekend after being ordered not to by police. The dog came back down alive but with "bloodied paws". The outspoken official has written to Emmanuel Macron, the French president, calling for him to pass new a new law next year to "punish all the loonies who break the rules" on the overcrowded peak, often leaving rubbish along the way. Earlier this year, two Swiss mountaineers landed a small plane less than 400 metres from the top of the famed mountain before heading for the summit with police in pursuit. The two climbers were equipped with ropes and crampons and had already started climbing towards the summit when they were intercepted by police and asked to turn back. Already threatened by global warming, such people were turning Mont Blanc into an "amusement park" where people expect to see "sea lions juggling with balls and pretty fireworks", the mayor warned. Local authorities tightened rules on ascending the "normal route" to the summit without booking at a refuge earlier this year saying overcrowding was increasing the risk of mortality.
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| View Photos of 2020 BMW M4 Edition ///M Heritage Posted: 03 Sep 2019 10:15 AM PDT |
| Pete Buttigieg's husband Chasten weighs in after Trump aide touts Pence's meeting with Irish PM and partner Posted: 03 Sep 2019 05:09 AM PDT  Particularly pointed criticism came from Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of presidential candidate and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
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| Trump's new Mexico envoy stirs hornet's nest with Frida Kahlo jab Posted: 03 Sep 2019 07:12 AM PDT  The new U.S. ambassador to Mexico has taken aim at Mexican icon Frida Kahlo for her support of Marxism, stirring up a fierce social media debate with a tweet asking if the painter had not been aware of atrocities committed in the name of that ideology. Few Mexicans have enjoyed greater global recognition than Kahlo, who spent long periods bedridden after a traffic accident in her youth, attained international fame following her death in 1954 and became a feminist symbol in the 1970s. U.S. Ambassador Christopher Landau, who was appointed by President Donald Trump and sworn in last month, must navigate a volatile bilateral relationship.
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| The Latest: Dorian weakens to Category 3 hurricane Posted: 02 Sep 2019 11:20 PM PDT  Dorian has weakened to a Category 3 hurricane but continues to batter the Bahamas as it remains almost at a standstill. At 2:00 a.m. EDT Tuesday, the ferocious storm's center was about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Freeport Grand Bahama Island. The hurricane is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of West Palm Beach, Florida.
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| Syrian pound at record low on black market: report Posted: 03 Sep 2019 09:32 AM PDT  The value of the Syrian pound against the dollar has fallen sharply to its lowest rate in history, an economic publication said Tuesday. On the black market on Tuesday, the pound was trading at 650 against the dollar (715 to the euro). It's "the lowest in history", Jihad Yazigi, the editor-in-chief of the Syria Report economic publication, told AFP.
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| Five dead as mobs burn down shops in 'anti-foreigner' riots in Johannesburg Posted: 03 Sep 2019 10:46 AM PDT  The death toll from sweeping anti-immigrant riots in Johannesburg suburbs rose to five on Tuesday as police attempted to restore order with rubber bullets. Large sections of Africa's largest and wealthiest city were deserted as tens of thousands of workers, commuters and school children stayed home to avoid violence directed at 'foreigners' from other parts of Africa. Rocks, bricks and rubber bullets lay strewn across the empty streets of Alexandra after mobs plundered the township overnight, burning and looting shops in their path. Police presence remained heavy last night after officers fired rubber bullets to disperse the last of the crowds. Many shops owned by 'foreigners' were looted on a second night of urban rioting where hundreds of people marched through the streets on Monday in an unusually large expression of anti-foreigner sentiment. A group of Zulu men residing at the Jeppe Hostel shout and wave stick during a speech given by the Police Minister General Bheki Cele in JeppesTown Credit: GUILLEM SARTORIO/AFP Such violence breaks out sporadically in South Africa where many locals blame immigrants for high unemployment, particularly in manual labour. "They beat up everyone they could see, they didn't check to see who owned the shops, whether it was a foreigner or a South African shop," said a Zimbabwe carpenter who asked not to be named. Another migrant, reluctant to say where he came from, who lives in shabby Malvern suburb close to the city centre, said: "The people are going for Nigerians as they do drugs." At least five people died, according to authorities, and about 100 were arrested since the word went around last weekend that there would be a purge on migrants this week. At least two South Africans were killed on Tuesday in a small town south of Johannesburg. A foreign national, believed to be a Somalian shopkeeper, was arrested with an unlicensed gun, according to sources close to the South African police. President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday condemned the wave of xenophobic violence. Attacks on businesses run by "foreign nationals is something totally unacceptable, something that we cannot allow to happen in South Africa," Ramaphosa said in a video address diffused on Twitter. "I want it to stop immediately," said Ramaphosa, adding that there was "no justification" for the violence. President Cyril Ramaphosa said he went to the "hostels" to speak to people about the attacks. The word hostels implies to many South Africans that the people he spoke to were Zulus - who still live in impoverished ghettoes formed during South Africa's mining boom. "This violence is now mutating and taking different forms that represent themselves in a way that we do not want to see in South Africa, where communities seem to be attacking one another. We want this to stop immediately," he said. While most illegal foreigners are from African countries, such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Burundi, there is a steady flow of illegal nationals from Pakistan who mostly enter the country from Mozambique. South African truckers also started a nation-wide strike on Sunday to protest against the employment of foreign drivers. They staged road blockades and torched foreign-driven vehicles in various parts of the country on Monday. Police say about 200 long-haul drivers were injured or killed on the 350 mile highway between Johannesburg and port city Durban last year, while more than 2000 trucks were attacked. Bishop Paul Verryn, who allowed thousands of Zimbabwe refugees to live for more than five years in Johannesburg's Central Methodist Church, said he was approached by a group of foreign long-haul truck drivers last Saturday: "Somehow they knew violence was coming and came to tell me of their fears."
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| Trump administration U-turns on decision to deport migrants with life-threatening health issues Posted: 03 Sep 2019 02:39 AM PDT  The Trump administration announced on Monday it would reconsider its controversial decision to force immigrants facing life-threatening health crises to return to their home countries, an abrupt move last month that generated public outrage and was roundly condemned by the medical establishment.On 7 August, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, without public notice, eliminated a "deferred action" program that had allowed immigrants to avoid deportation while they or their relatives were undergoing lifesaving medical treatment.
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| Mexican official denies vigilante movement has reignited Posted: 02 Sep 2019 06:57 PM PDT  State and local officials in western Mexico disputed Monday whether the old vigilante "self-defense" movement has re-awakened, or whether recent confrontations are just turf battles between gangs. The 2013-2014 vigilante movement took control of large swaths of western Michoacan state, purportedly to expel the old Knights Templar drug cartel. Over the weekend, vigilantes in the town of Tepalcatepec said they had fought off a massive attack by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and posted videos showing hundreds of purported vigilante fighters and shot-up pickup trucks surrounded by bodies.
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| Student loans: Betsy DeVos rule change means college students must fight for loan forgiveness Posted: 03 Sep 2019 08:11 AM PDT  DeVos thought it was too easy under Obama for students to get loan forgiveness if a college closed or if their degree didn't prepare them for a job.
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| Boris Johnson Humiliated by Parliament in First Brexit Vote Posted: 03 Sep 2019 02:57 PM PDT  REUTERSLONDON—Theresa May's abject humiliation over Brexit was three years in the making as she endured failed negotiations, misfiring political gambles, and a series of internal revolts. Boris Johnson got there in just one vote. The biographer of Winston Churchill entered Downing Street breathing rhetorical fire just one day before parliament was closed for the summer. On his very first day back in Parliament, he lost his majority in the House of Commons and was then defeated by his own side in a bitter battle over his trademark Brexit policy. The prime minister was reduced to begging the opposition parties to agree to a general election after he lost the power to deliver a Brexit of his choosing by 328 votes to 301. Lawmakers are expected to vote to rule out a hard, no-deal Brexit on Wednesday, which Johnson believes will destroy his ability to negotiate a good deal with the European Union.Kamikaze Boris Johnson Risks Becoming Britain's Shortest-Serving PMJohnson came to power boasting an ironclad, "do-or-die" commitment to deliver Brexit by Oct. 31. Braggadocious stories leaked to senior newspaper reporters explained that—after May's failure to deliver Brexit—the real men were now in charge and would channel the spirit of "Cocaine Mitch" to force through their plan using every mechanism or procedure in the book. Johnson appointed a notoriously spiky strategist as his chief of staff, and last week they broke with precedent and asked the queen to shut down parliament for five weeks until just before the Brexit deadline to prevent lawmakers thwarting Johnson's Brexit plan. The move was condemned as a constitutional outrage, and tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest in cities and towns across Britain.Instead of convincing opponents within his own Conservative party to back down, the extraordinary gambit only served to strengthen their resolve. When it looked as though there would be enough rebels for the House of Commons to seize control of parliamentary business from Johnson, No. 10 responded not with conciliatory overtures but by threatening to kick anyone who voted against him out of the Conservative Party and banning them from running for re-election under the party's banner. On Tuesday night, 21 members of the party disregarded the threats and voted to take away Johnson's control over Brexit. The so-called "rebel alliance" will use that control to hold a new vote on Wednesday that would force Johnson to seek a further Brexit extension from the European Union. The lawmakers who risked their own careers and were thus willing to be expelled from the Conservative Party in order to facedown their party leader included a former chancellor of the exchequer, a former attorney general and Ken Clarke, a veteran of Margaret Thatcher's Cabinet, who now holds the unofficial position of Father of the House, as the longest serving member of the Commons. Another of the rebels was Sir Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Churchill, Johnson's cherished hero. Assuming the prime minister goes through with his threat to boot these Conservative stalwarts from the party, he will be reduced to presiding over the smallest minority government for 30 years.Philip Lee had already destroyed Johnson's majority earlier in the day when he quit the party and "crossed the aisle"—to sit with the Liberal Democrats—while the prime minister was speaking."This Conservative Government is aggressively pursuing a damaging Brexit in unprincipled ways," Lee said. "It is undermining our country's economy, democracy and role in the world. It is using political manipulation, bullying and lies. And it is doing these things in a deliberate and considered way."Johnson challenged the opposition Labour party to back his calls for a general election to be held on Oct. 15, before the Halloween deadline he has pledged to meet. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would only agree to an election once the threat of no deal had been taken off the table.It is very likely that an election will be held in the coming months, and the only thing on Johnson's record will be the failure to deliver his only policy.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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| A Rift Reportedly Opens Between Hong Kong Prosecutors and Police as Protests Continue Unabated Posted: 03 Sep 2019 01:47 AM PDT  The head of the Hong Kong Court Prosecutors Association accuses police of lying, government funded broadcaster says
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| Young mother shot in Odessa shooting kept asking about her baby, doctor says Posted: 01 Sep 2019 08:46 PM PDT  'WHERE'S MY BABY?' A doctor who helped save the life of one of the shooting victims said she kept asking about her baby while he was helping.
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| 'Bigger picture, it's climate change': Great Lakes flood ravages homes and roads Posted: 02 Sep 2019 11:00 PM PDT  Depths of lakes that hold about 90% of US's freshwater spiking to record levels, from 14in to nearly 3ft above long-term averages 'There's no doubt that we are in a region where climate change is having an impact,' said Richard B Rood, a University of Michigan professor. Photograph: Colter Peterson/APThis summer, as rain relentlessly poured down on the Great Lakes region, Detroit declared a rare state of emergency. The swollen Detroit River had spilled into the low-lying Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood – an event not seen near this scale since 1986.Volunteers sandbagged the area as the city's overwhelmed sewer system spilled raw sewage into the river, which connects Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Across the channel from Jefferson Chalmers, water damaged the historic boathouse on Belle Isle, a 982-acre island park that remains partly shut down because of flooding.Meanwhile, in Duluth, Minnesota, the city is rebuilding after a powerful storm over Lake Superior damaged a popular pedestrian path, eroded acres of lakefront property and ravaged infrastructure along the shore.About 800 miles to the east, floods hit Buffalo, New York, on Lake Erie in two of the last three years, while Lake Michigan's historically high waters inundated parts of Chicago throughout the spring and summer months.The havoc wreaked on communities bordering the Great Lakes is a result of their water level steadily rising over the last five years and spiking to record levels this spring and summer. In 2019, the lakes' depths ranged from 14in to nearly 3ft above long-term averages, according to data from the US army corps of engineers. In June, water in the Lakes St Clair, Ontario, Superior and Erie set records for monthly mean levels, while Lake Michigan-Huron rose to 1in from its recorded peak.That is leading to widespread damage in coastal cities, eroded shorelines and beaches and many other issues. The record levels come just five years after the lakes experienced historically low levels in 2014, and climate scientists say it is clear what's fueling the drastic swing: the Earth's rising temperatures."Bigger picture, it's climate change," said Richard B Rood, a professor in the University of Michigan's department of climate and space sciences and engineering. "There's no doubt that we are in a region where climate change is having an impact."Rood said the Great Lakes basin, which holds 90% of the nation's freshwater, can expect similar shifts in the coming decades as world temperatures increase.Climate scientists say a confluence of climate crisis-related issues resulted in this year's levels. Warmer air over the Gulf of Mexico caused more evaporation, and that moisture pushed into the region during the spring and summer. Higher temperatures give the atmosphere more capacity to hold evaporated water, Rood said, which is why storms are dumping more rain than 50 years ago."When you're in wet periods, you start to get persistent, basin-wide extreme precipitation," he said.The numbers back that up. By May, Cleveland, Ohio on Lake Erie's shore saw more rainy days than any year since 1953. Muskegon, on Lake Michigan's shore, experienced 7.45in more rainfall than average throughout the first eight months, while Sault Ste Marie on Lake Superior tallied about 9in more than average for the same period. Buffalo saw 34% more rain than typical.The moisture rained down on ground and lakes already more saturated than usual because a January polar vortex brought frigid temperatures that prevented wintertime evaporation crucial to keeping water levels in check. Meanwhile, a heavy snow pack melted. pushing up levels even further."We're seeing all these things that have an effect on the water cycle converge, which is why we're having these enormous water volumes," Rood said.Though the region finally dried out a bit in August and water levels are slightly receding, the Great Lakes' fall storm season is fast approaching. Fall is a time of high winds and the agency's six-month forecast predicts levels will remain very high, thus there's a strong likelihood for even more damage this year.Coastal communities need to give the storms and fluctuating lake levels stronger consideration when building near the shoreline, said Richard Norton, an urban and regional planning professor at the University of Michigan. There's still an inclination to build as close to the water as possible, which was especially a problem as levels began dropping in the early 2000s."People want to build in the most beautiful, fragile and dangerous places, and that's challenging because of the way the lakes go up and down over time in a weird way … and it's not a good idea," Norton said.The changes have an impact on the lakes' ecosystems and natural environment, but it's a mixed bag. While erosion is an issue, the basin is resilient and has withstood similar variability in the past, said Mark Breederland, an extension director with the environmental agency Michigan Sea Grant.He said extreme fluctuations can benefit the coastal wetlands and some species, while other species, such as the endangered piping plover, face new threats. Meanwhile, the impact of continued climate change on the Great Lakes' ecosystem is still unknown, Breederland said.However, there is more certainty with water levels. Long-term, as temperature increases continue, the region will see levels "bouncing from low extreme to high extremes", Rood said, though the lakes will eventually start to disappear if temperatures aren't brought under control."If we don't mitigate our emissions … and the temperature gets to a certain level, then it does become evaporation dominant," he said.• This article was corrected on 3 September 2019 to situate Buffalo, New York, on Lake Erie rather than Lake Ontario.
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| All-clear for German city Hanover after WWII bomb defused Posted: 02 Sep 2019 11:03 PM PDT  More than 15,000 people evacuated from their homes in the German city of Hanover were free to return early Tuesday after city officials said an unexploded World War II bomb had been defused. Tweets less than an hour apart from the city hall reported the bomb defusal team starting work and then issuing the all-clear at 01:07 am. The unearthing of World War II era bombs is a common occurrence in Hanover, home to some 500,000 people and one of dozens of cities the Allies targeted during the conflict.
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| UPDATE 3-Walmart to stop selling ammunition for handguns, assault-style weapons Posted: 03 Sep 2019 11:06 AM PDT ![UPDATE 3-Walmart to stop selling ammunition for handguns, assault-style weapons]( "UPDATE 3-Walmart to stop selling ammunition for handguns, assault-style weapons") Walmart Inc, the nation's largest retailer, said on Tuesday it would stop selling ammunition for handguns and some assault-style rifles in all its stores across the United States, calling for national action on gun safety after a string of mass shootings, including two at Walmart stores in Texas and Mississippi. Walmart is among U.S. companies, such as Delta Air Lines and Bank of America, that increasingly are responding to the debate over guns and gun safety as mass shootings have proliferated, risking backlash from powerful national gun owners' groups while elected leaders consider options.
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| Mike Pence staying at Trump golf resort in Ireland despite all meetings happening on other side of country Posted: 03 Sep 2019 12:44 AM PDT  Mike Pence has chosen to stay at Donald Trump's golf resort during a visit to Ireland, despite his official duties all taking place on the other side of the country in Dublin.Critics accused the US vice president of corruption by electing to use public funds to enrich his boss' private business, rather than use one of the hundreds of hotels in the Irish capital.
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| Customer pulls gun on Popeyes employees over chicken sandwiches, police say Posted: 03 Sep 2019 07:24 AM PDT  Police in Houston say a man pulled a gun on employees at a Popeyes restaurant after they ran out of their popular chicken sandwiches.
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| Why Kamala Harris Hasn’t Caught Fire in the Democratic 2020 Race Posted: 03 Sep 2019 01:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Kamala Harris entered the presidential race with impressive credentials -- a popular black woman with an inspiring story who hailed from a large Democratic state and drew accolades for her fiery questioning of President Donald Trump's nominees.Yet despite a shot of adrenaline after confronting front-runner Joe Biden in the first debate, she has failed to catch fire with Democratic voters who are torn between a nostalgic fondness for Biden and a revolutionary desire for Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.Harris's attempt to replicate her feat in the second debate backfired among Democrats who say she went too negative on Biden. The Californian also suffers from a perception that she lacks a deep ideological well to guide her policy ideas, in contrast to her three main rivals who are better-defined. And her past as a prosecutor has earned her supporters and detractors.Harris and Senator Cory Booker "really went after Vice President Biden -- it rebounded to their detriment that they went after Biden so much. Because it also looked like they were not just going after Biden, but they were going after the Obama legacy," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which is neutral in the primaries.Weingarten said many Democrats left the June debate thinking, "Kamala seems really feisty and let's look at her." But in the July debate they were turned off by Harris and other aggressors because "it looked like they were burning the house down, as opposed to building on what Democrats believe in."Harris surged from about 7% to 15% in averages of Democratic polls immediately after the first debate in late June, putting her in second or third place in the crowded field. But it was a sugar high — she's back to the 7% she had when summer began.For Harris, the danger is that she's another Marco Rubio. The Florida senator, too, had a potentially history-making candidacy during the Republican nomination battle in 2016 and was hailed by the party establishment as presidential timber, before he failed to translate that on the ground."Our focus is on winning the primary, not an off-year August news cycle, which is why we've spent the summer building the grassroots organizing foundation that will propel Kamala to victory in this race," Harris spokesman Ian Sams said in an email. "These races are marathons, not sprints, and Kamala is a long-distance runner."'Too Flippy-Floppy'In late July, Harris backed off her previous support for replacing private insurance with a national government plan and released a proposal that preserves the option for private plans, positioning herself ideologically between Sanders and Biden on one of the most contentious issues in the race.But rather than placating both wings, the move drew fire from all sides — the Sanders campaign accused her of going soft, Biden charged her with "double talk," and voters were left wondering what she stands for."Too flippy-floppy. I just don't like her," said Debby Fisher of Richmond, California — near Harris's hometown of Oakland — who plans to support Sanders.Suzanne Cowan of San Francisco said she soured on Harris after her change on health care."That's not my kind of candidate. Either you know what issues you support and you have the courage to stand up for them or you don't," she said. "For me she's 'I'll be in favor of whatever is trending' — and that doesn't cut it."'Her Brilliance, Her Passion'Patrick Kollar of Roy, Washington, who recently attended a Warren rally in Seattle, said he's unsure how to define Harris ideologically."That's a problem," he said. "I follow politics pretty closely and I don't know what she's about."Harris has set herself apart on culturally salient issues like immigration and gun control with far-reaching legislative proposals and executive actions to tackle two high priorities for Democratic voters. At the same time, she has downplayed ideological labels and branded herself as the "3 a.m. agenda" candidate who's focused on problems that keep Americans up at night."I lost my son to gun violence," said Lynette McElhaney of Oakland, adding that she was drawn to Harris's aggressive positions on gun control. "And critically important, she sent her staff to stand with me when my son was killed in Los Angeles."She said she supports Harris for "her mind, her brilliance, her passion, her heart."McElhaney was among the Harris volunteers who lined the halls at the Democratic National Committee summer meeting in San Francisco. They had donned "Kamala Harris for the people" T-shirts and campaign gear and chanted slogans for their candidate.Harris's past as a prosecutor — seven years as San Francisco district attorney and six years as California attorney general — is a mixed bag. Some Democrats say it's the reason she was so effective when questioning William Barr and Brett Kavanaugh, Trump's nominees for attorney general and the Supreme Court. Others say she fought too hard to achieve and sustain convictions in dubious circumstances.Rubio Redux?In some ways, Harris risks falling into the same trap that ensnared Rubio in 2016 — eloquent on the stump, adept at raising money, acceptable across the party spectrum but not loved by enough voters."Harris is trying to run in a lane very similar to what Rubio tried to do in 2016," said Alex Conant, the communications director for Rubio's presidential campaign. "They're both new faces, running as next-generation candidates against candidates that in many ways represent the past. They came into the campaign with ideological credentials but a message that would play well in the general.""It's a good strategy for coming in second," he quipped. "If you're acceptable to everyone you're not necessarily loved by anyone."Conant said the key for Harris is to pick an early state to win. Rubio split his efforts about equally in the first four states and landed several top-three finishes, but failed to win any of them."At some point you need to win somewhere," Conant said. "You need to be people's first choice."To contact the reporter on this story: Sahil Kapur in Washington at skapur39@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| View Photos of Aston Martin Vanquish 25 by Callum Posted: 02 Sep 2019 08:30 AM PDT |
| Desperate calls for help from flooded Bahamas islands Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:36 PM PDT  Port Saint Lucie (United States) (AFP) - The message was desperate, despondent and urgent.
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| Greece proposes Parthenon marbles swap, says still wants their permanent return Posted: 03 Sep 2019 04:34 AM PDT ![Greece proposes Parthenon marbles swap, says still wants their permanent return]( "Greece proposes Parthenon marbles swap, says still wants their permanent return") Greece confirmed on Tuesday its readiness to loan treasures to the British Museum in return for being able to temporarily exhibit the Parthenon marbles but also said the proposal did not alter its long-standing demand for their permanent return. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Britain's Observer newspaper on Sunday he was willing to lend important artefacts to London that "have never left Greece" in return for putting the marbles on display in Athens in 2021, when the country marks 200 years since the start of its War of Independence. Athens has repeatedly called for the permanent return of the 2,500-year-old sculptures that Britain's Lord Elgin removed from the Acropolis temple during a period when Greece was under Ottoman Turkish rule.
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