| Trump plan 'historic', peace deals crucial: Israel foreign minister Posted: 18 May 2020 10:50 AM PDT  Israel's new foreign minister said Monday that US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace proposal offered an "historic opportunity" but that regional peace deals must be maintained during its implementation. Gabi Ashkenazi, who became the Jewish state's top diplomat when a new unity government was sworn in on Sunday, made the comments at a transition ceremony in Jerusalem. "The plan will be promoted responsibly and in coordination with the United States, while maintaining peace agreements and the strategic interests of Israel," Ashkenazi said according to a copy of his remarks seen by AFP.
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| In Michael Flynn case, Judge Sullivan's gross overreach turns justice into mob rule Posted: 18 May 2020 02:28 PM PDT  The case against Micheal Flynn is abusive and should be dismissed, as the Justice Department requests. But Judge Emmet Sullivan has other ideas.
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| Vatican, Italy resume public church services as lockdown eases Posted: 18 May 2020 01:57 AM PDT  Pope Francis inaugurated the full reopening of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Monday and Catholic churches across Italy held public Masses for the first time in two months, in the latest easing of coronavirus restrictions. Francis said a private Mass in a side chapel where St. John Paul II is buried to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the late Polish pope's birth. John Paul II was made a saint in 2014.
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| Fired scientist Rick Bright says the US coronavirus response has been 'chaotic' and lacks a clear strategy Posted: 17 May 2020 10:09 PM PDT  "I am frustrated at a lack of leadership," Bright told "60 Minutes, adding that the US does not yet have a national strategy to respond to COVID-19.
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| Tropical Storm Arthur hits North Carolina coast with rain Posted: 18 May 2020 03:17 AM PDT  Tropical Storm Arthur moved out to sea Monday after dumping heavy rain on North Carolina as forecasters warned that the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season could continue to whip dangerous surf and rip currents for another day or more along the U.S. East Coast. The storm represented another early start for the Atlantic hurricane season. Arthur formed Saturday in waters off Florida, marking the sixth straight year that a named storm has developed before June 1.
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| He thought the coronavirus was 'a fake crisis.' Then he contracted it. Posted: 18 May 2020 09:32 AM PDT  Brian Hitchens said he thought that the coronavirus "is a fake crisis" that was "blown out of proportion" and "wasn't that serious."
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| Burkina Faso unveils 'corrected' Thomas Sankara statue Posted: 18 May 2020 05:02 AM PDT  A new monument to the African nationalist hero is unveiled after parts of the original "melted".
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| 31 Best Low-Light Indoor Plants and How to Care for Them Posted: 18 May 2020 07:50 AM PDT |
| Setback for Libya's Khalifa Haftar as Tripoli government captures strategic airbase Posted: 18 May 2020 08:14 AM PDT  Libya's internationally recognised government claimed a significant symbolic victory on Monday as its forces captured a strategic air-base from General Khalifa Khaftar's Libyan National Army. Osama Juweili, a senior commander with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, said troops entered Watiya airbase, 80 miles southwest of the capital, early on Monday morning. GNA media posted pictures of what it said was a Russian-made Pantsir air defence system captured at the base. There was no immediate confirmation from the LNA, although a spokesman earlier said it had evacuated troops from the base after it came under intense bombardment. Watiya was a key foothold for Gen Haftar's forces, which are backed by the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Russia, in western Libya. Its fall marks his biggest setback since he sparked the current round of Libya's civil war by launching an assault on Tripoli in April 2019. It is the latest of a series of gains for the GNA since Turkey openly began supplying weapons and personnel to Tripoli at the beginning of the year. Turkish supplied drones pounded Watiya for weeks ahead of Monday's assault. Violence in Libya has escalated despite international pressure on both sides to pause the fighting to allow the country's doctors to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic. Libya has reported at least 65 cases of the virus, including three deaths. At least seven people were killed a university campus being used to house families displaced by fighting in Tripoli came under artillery fire on the weekend. Fayez Serraj, the GNA Prime Minister, said in a statement that the "victory does not constitute the end of the battle but brings us closer than any time before to the bigger victory, the liberation of all towns and regions and bases."
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| Dr. Nesheiwat says it is 'smart' for Trump to preventatively take hydroxychloroquine Posted: 18 May 2020 02:26 PM PDT  Fox News medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat reacts to President Trump announcement that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine.
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| Japan slips into recession, worst yet to come as pandemic wreaks havoc Posted: 17 May 2020 05:01 PM PDT  Japan's economy slipped into recession for the first time in 4-1/2 years, GDP data showed on Monday, putting the nation on course for its deepest postwar slump as the coronavirus crisis takes a heavy toll on businesses and consumers. The world's third-largest economy shrank for the second consecutive quarter in the three months to March, intensifying the challenge for policymakers battling a once-in-a-century pandemic that has already caused widespread disruptions. Gross domestic product (GDP) contracted an annualised 3.4% in the first quarter as private consumption, capital expenditure and exports fell, preliminary official data showed, following a revised 7.3 decline in the October-December period, meeting the technical definition of a recession.
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| At least 6 countries reimposed lockdown measures as new coronavirus cases flared up again. Here's what they looked like. Posted: 17 May 2020 01:18 AM PDT  China, Germany, Iran, South Korea, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia all reimposed partial new measures after discovering a spike in infections.
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| Appeals court clears way for execution of Missouri inmate Posted: 18 May 2020 06:07 AM PDT  A federal appeals court has cleared the way for a Missouri death row inmate to be executed Tuesday and ordered his petition for post-conviction relief dismissed, despite questions raised about evidence used to convict him. The Sunday decision by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacates a 30-day stay of execution granted Friday to Walter Barton by a federal judge. Barton, 64, is set to die by lethal injection for the 1991 killing of 81-year-old trailer park operator Gladys Kuehler.
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| Police say man attacked married couple with machete because he was angry over coronavirus shutdowns Posted: 18 May 2020 12:39 PM PDT  Kelvin Edwards is charged with two counts of attempted murder after police say he attacked fellow customers at a storage facility.
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| Barr says FBI discovered 'significant ties' between Pensacola shooter and Al Qaeda Posted: 18 May 2020 09:04 AM PDT  Department of Justice officials announced Monday the FBI has obtained evidence linking the gunman who shot and killed three people and wounded eight at Pensacola, Florida's Naval Air Station last year to Al Qaeda.CNN and The New York Times on Monday reported that investigators discovered ties between the Pensacola shooting suspect, Mohammed Alshamrani, and Al Qaeda after breaking through his iPhones' encryption, and Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray subsequently confirmed the development in a news conference."The phones contained information previously unknown to us that definitively establishes Alshamrani's significant ties to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, not only before the attack, but before he even arrived in the United States," Barr said.The Department of Justice in January called the Pensacola shooting an "act of terrorism," saying that Alshamrani, a Royal Saudi Air Force member, was motivated by "jihadist ideology." On Monday, Wray said Alshamrani had been "connecting and associating with a number of dangerous" Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives and talked with AQAP in the months prior to the attack. Wray also called the shooting the "brutal culmination of years of planning and preparation by a longtime AQAP associate."The Justice Department previously asked Apple for help in decrypting the shooter's two iPhones, but Wray on Monday said that the FBI received "effectively no help from Apple" and that "unfortunately, the technique that we developed" to access the phones "is not a fix for our broader Apple problem" because of its "pretty limited application."More stories from theweek.com Researchers are learning to predict your chances of surviving COVID-19 Report finds Treasury Department has hardly spent any of its $500 billion fund to help businesses Dropkick Murphys, Bruce Springsteen to team up for livestreamed concert from empty Fenway Park
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| Huawei says 'survival' at stake after US chip restrictions Posted: 18 May 2020 03:32 AM PDT  Huawei on Monday assailed the latest US move to cut it off from semiconductor suppliers as a "pernicious" attack that will put the Chinese technology giant in "survival" mode and sow chaos in the global technology sector. The Commerce Department said on Friday it was tightening sanctions on Huawei -- seen by Washington as a security risk -- to include denying it access to semiconductor designs developed using US software and technology. "The decision was arbitrary and pernicious and threatens to undermine the entire (technology) industry worldwide," Huawei said in a statement.
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| Hong Kong: Lawmakers carried out during parliament mayhem Posted: 18 May 2020 01:19 AM PDT  Pro-democracy lawmakers were dragged out by guards during a row partly about the Chinese national anthem.
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| Donald Trump reveals he is taking hydroxychloroquine, the drug he touts as coronavirus treatment Posted: 18 May 2020 01:34 PM PDT  Donald Trump has revealed he has started taking hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug he has repeatedly touted as a possible coronavirus treatment despite concerns about dangerous side-effects. The US president said he had been taking the drug daily in pill form for around 10 days and had discussed it with the White House doctor before doing so. Mr Trump said many front line workers were using hydroxychloroquine to prevent getting Covid-19, citing a letter he had received from a doctor talking up the possible benefits. "All I can tell you is so far I seem to be okay," the president said. He stressed he had no coronavirus symptoms, suggesting he was taking the drug to somehow avoid infection. Mr Trump also said in passing that he had been taking zinc - another drug that has been loosely discussed as having possible remedial benefits when it comes to coronavirus. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, told CNN that she was concerned about the president taking drugs not recommended by scientists, especially, she said, given that Mr Trump is "morbidly obese":
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| U.S. savages WHO as it promises pandemic review, but China pledges $2 billion Posted: 18 May 2020 01:56 AM PDT  The World Health Organization said on Monday an independent review of the global coronavirus response would begin as soon as possible and it received backing and a hefty pledge of funds from China, in the spotlight as the origin of the pandemic. Trump said later in Washington that the WHO, which he called a "puppet of China", had "done a very sad job" in its handling of the coronavirus and he would make a decision about U.S. funding to the body soon.
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| The shortest flight route in the US is now a 29-mile American Airlines trip connecting two of Colorado's most wealthy resort towns Posted: 18 May 2020 10:15 AM PDT  American Airlines' 35-minute flight, spurred by funding conditions in the CARES Act, connects super-wealthy Colorado enclaves Vail and Aspen.
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| Australia welcomes virus inquiry but condemns China tariff Posted: 17 May 2020 11:59 PM PDT  Australia on Tuesday welcomed international support for an independent coronavirus pandemic investigation as China ratcheted up a bilateral trade rift by placing tariffs on Australian barley. The World Health Organization bowed to calls Monday from most of its member states to launch an independent probe into how it managed the international response to the coronavirus. The "comprehensive evaluation," sought by a coalition of African, European and other countries including Australia, is intended to review "lessons learned" from WHO's coordination of the global response to COVID-19, but would stop short of looking into contentious issues such as the origins of the respiratory virus.
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| Former Bernie Sanders adviser issues warning to Biden as Obama-Trump feud reignites Posted: 18 May 2020 04:18 PM PDT  Long-time Sanders aide Jeff Weaver says Joe Biden can't count on Millennials, Latinos or independents; Peter Doocy reports.
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| Louisville police make major changes to policies in the wake of Breonna Taylor's death Posted: 18 May 2020 01:48 PM PDT  Louisville mayor Greg Fischer announced changes to the police department's policies on no-knock warrants and body cameras.
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| How greater diversity in the cockpit could help airlines avoid a looming pilot shortage Posted: 18 May 2020 05:15 AM PDT  Before the new coronavirus hit, the airline industry was bracing for a severe pilot shortage. But just as the pandemic has forced school closures across the country, it's also disrupting aviation training programs, which could mean even fewer pilots are trained to fly tomorrow's fleet of commercial aircraft.There are many reasons for the anticipated shortage, including increased regulation, growing demand for air travel and an aging workforce, coupled with a mandatory retirement age of 65. But there's one cause that also offers a solution: The industry has long struggled to recruit women, people of color and members of other marginalized groups.As a scholar of aviation education and policy, I believe a stronger focus on attracting a diverse workforce and embracing a more inclusive culture is pivotal to ensuring there are enough pilots as Americans return to the skies in record numbers after this crisis passes. Lack of diversityUpon entering the field of aviation in 2014, it took me about a year on the job before I fully grasped that I was, more often than not, the only woman in the room – and frequently the youngest to boot.Eventually, I had the opportunity to critically examine the systemic problems that have led to a lack of diversity in both the academic aviation world and the broader industry it reflects. I found that women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community were significantly underrepresented, yet their mere presence was often used to symbolize progress in diversifying the industry. And little has changed.A review of the latest Civil Airmen Statistics indicates that a little over 4% of Airline Transport Certificate holders – the required certification to fly for a major carrier – are women. No major U.S. carrier hired a female pilot until 1973. The situation is even worse for African Americans, who were not hired to pilot a commercial airplane until the 1960s. Things changed only because of a six-year battle against Continental Airlines waged by Marlon Green, who filed a discrimination complaint against the carrier. In 1963, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in his favor, paving the way for the first black pilot, David Ellsworth Harris, whom American Airlines hired in 1964. Green would follow suit at Continental in 1965.But even today there are few African American pilots. Sociologists Louwanda Evans and Joe Feagin estimate that the number in 2012 was fewer than 700 – less than 1% of all commercial pilots. Fewer than 20 were black women. Pilot shortageI believe this lack of inclusion has contributed to the looming pilot shortage the industry has worried about for several years.Every few years, Boeing releases a report forecasting the number of professionals that the aviation industry will need in the coming years, from pilots and maintenance technicians to cabin crew. In its most recent report, Boeing estimates that North America is short 212,000 pilots through 2038.One of the problems is the field's high barrier for those who lack resources and support. The cost of a flight education at a traditional four-year institution can range from US$50,000 to upwards of $100,000, in addition to rising tuition fees.Another issue is a culture that isn't very inclusive.For an ongoing research project, I've been interviewing African American women in a variety of positions in the aviation industry about the challenges pursuing a successful career in the field. I've found that the lack of mentors, access to the industry, resources and "people who look like you" have all been barriers to entry and retention in the industry. There is also a perception problem, where women are not seen as authoritative enough for positions like captain of an aircraft.In a recent CNN article, aviation writer Kathryn Creedy put part of the blame on work rules that "haven't changed in 50 years." A sexist work environment is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit against Frontier Airlines, which is accused of discriminating against pregnant and breastfeeding women. Beyond tokenismIn the various months devoted to recognizing historically marginalized groups such as women, African Americans and LBGTQ people, the aviation industry joins the chorus of group that use the calendar to highlight historic diversity firsts.For example, you'll often see articles in February showcasing the "first African American pilot" or the "first all LGBTQ flight crew." Unfortunately, those firsts did not spark a significant change that led to real diversity in the cockpit, which continues to be dominated by white men. The problem with celebrating diverse talent only during the designated month is that this approach does not require the industry to reflect on why it needs diversity and inclusion policies in the first place. In her 2013 book, "Cabin Pressure: African-American Pilots, Flight Attendants, and Emotional Labor," sociologist Louwanda Evans writes about how mere representation can't paper over entrenched discrimination. And this problem, in turn, is contributing to the looming pilot shortage. The principles of justice and equity should be enough to convince carriers to make their policies and practices more equitable and inclusive to individuals who have not typically been drawn to the industry. But if they need more convincing, the clear economic imperative should do the job. [Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today's news, every day.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * How do you stay safe now that states are reopening? An expert explains how to assess risk when reconnecting with friends and family * Coronavirus murals: inside the world of pandemic-inspired street artShannon McLoughlin Morrison is affiliated with The Ohio State University, and has volunteered for the National Gay Pilots Association and Women in Aviation
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| Group of GOP state AGs calls on judge to dismiss Flynn case Posted: 18 May 2020 02:34 PM PDT  A group of 15 Republican state attorneys general filed an amicus brief Monday supporting the Justice Department's motion to drop its case against former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn. The group, led by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, argues that U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan should immediately grant the Justice Department's motion to dismiss all charges against Flynn because "the federal judiciary has no authority to make the executive branch pursue (or continue to pursue) a criminal conviction," the filing says.
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| 'I cannot stress this enough, this will kill you': Fox News host Neil Cavuto was shocked by Trump's announcement that he's taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent coronavirus. Posted: 18 May 2020 02:21 PM PDT  "I only make this not to make a political point here, but a life-and-death point," Cavuto said. "Be very, very careful."
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| Coronavirus 'not a pandemic in Pakistan' says top court, ordering curbs lifted Posted: 18 May 2020 11:06 AM PDT  Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered the government on Monday to lift some of the remaining restrictions imposed on business to halt the spread of the coronavirus, even as the country recorded a rise in infections since beginning to emerge from lockdown. In its decision, which is binding, the court said the virus "apparently is not a pandemic in Pakistan" and questioned why fighting it was "swallowing so much money". The court ordered shopping malls to be reopened if health authorities do not object, and curbs to be lifted on businesses opening on the weekends.
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| Republican apologizes for likening Covid-19 curbs to Nazis' persecution of Jews Posted: 18 May 2020 06:00 AM PDT  Alaska state representative Ben Carpenter told to 'Keep your Holocaust jokes to yourself' after objecting to virus screeningAntisemitic and Nazi-sympathizing comments made by a Republican state representative in Alaska, who likened Covid-19 safety measures at the state capitol to the treatment of Jewish people in Nazi Germany, brought widespread rebuke and, eventually, an apology. Alaska's legislature is due to return on Monday and representatives were told by email they would be asked to undergo screening as they entered the building. Those who are screened will be given a sticker to show completion. Those who refuse will not be given a sticker. In an emailed reply to the new measures that was obtained by the Alaska Landmine, Ben Carpenter, a Republican wrote: "If my sticker falls off, do I get a new one or do I get public shaming too? Are the stickers available as a yellow Star of David?"The reply drew instant rebuke from colleagues in the house."This is disgusting. Keep your Holocaust jokes to yourself," replied Grier Hopkins, a Democrat.Carpenter initially declined to apologize and in an interview with the Anchorage Daily News made remarks that appeared to show Nazi sympathies. "Can you or I – can we even say it is totally out of the realm of possibility that Covid-19 patients will be rounded up and taken somewhere?" he said."People want to say Hitler was a white supremacist. No. He was fearful of the Jewish nation, and that drove him into some unfathomable atrocities." On Sunday, facing a national backlash, Carpenter apologized in an op-ed for a local paper."I take my responsibility as the voice of the people who elected me very seriously," he wrote. "I also hold the Jewish people in the highest regard."I do not take myself so seriously that I cannot recognize that the words I wrote, and those attributed to me, do not adequately reflect the esteem I hold for either group of people. I hope to correct that error now."
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| Huge fentanyl haul seized in Asia's biggest-ever drugs bust Posted: 18 May 2020 03:47 AM PDT  Myanmar police say they have seized a huge haul of liquid fentanyl - the first time the dangerous synthetic opioid that is ravaging North America has been found in Asia's Golden Triangle drug-producing region. In a sign that Asia's drug syndicates have moved into the lucrative opioid market, more than 3,700 litres of methylfentanyl was discovered by anti-narcotics police near Loikan village in Shan State in northeast Myanmar. The seizure of the fentanyl derivative was part of Asia's biggest-ever interception of illicit drugs, precursors and drug-making equipment, including 193 million methamphetamine tablets known as yaba. At 17.5 tonnes, that is almost as much yaba as has been seized during the previous two years in Myanmar. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said the scale of the bust was unprecedented and Myanmar's anti-drug authorities had "dismantled a significant network" during a two-month operation involving police and military. Also seized were almost 163,000 litres and 35.5 tonnes of drug precursors - substances that can be used to produce drugs - as well as weapons. There were more than 130 arrests.
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| First coronavirus case detected in Ecuador Amazon tribe Posted: 17 May 2020 08:13 PM PDT  The first case of the novel coronavirus has been detected in one of Ecuador's indigenous Amazon tribes, the health ministry said Sunday. Waorani organizations -- speaking through the GO Alliance for Human Rights in Ecuador (DDHH) -- warned COVID-19's spread could be "catastrophic and highly lethal" for their community, which is vulnerable to diseases. The first case reported in the Waorani tribe is a "pregnant woman, 17 years old, who began to show symptoms on May 4," the ministry said in a statement.
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| Coronavirus: Can India replace China as world's factory? Posted: 17 May 2020 05:44 PM PDT  Delhi is keen to exploit any shift in global investment flows prompted by the coronavirus crisis.
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| Here's everyone who has been sentenced in the college admissions scandal so far Posted: 18 May 2020 02:32 PM PDT  Felicity Huffman was the first parent in the college admissions scandal to be sentenced. Here's everyone else facing jail time or fines.
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| New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo took a COVID-19 test live on TV Posted: 17 May 2020 09:58 AM PDT  The Democratic governor, who holds a daily coronavirus briefing, was swabbed for a COVID-19 test live during his Sunday briefing.
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| Barr Pours Cold Water on Trump’s ‘Obamagate’ Accusations Posted: 18 May 2020 11:05 AM PDT  Attorney General William Barr waved off President Donald Trump's repeated suggestions that Barack Obama masterminded a criminal plot against him, saying Monday that he doesn't expect criminal charges will be brought against the former president or former Vice President Joe Biden as part of the Justice Department's probe into the Russia investigation.Reacting to Barr's remarks later in the day, Trump said he was "surprised" since in the president's view, "Obama knew everything that was happening." The president did not explain, however, what the former president knew.With Trump recently calling for the DOJ to prosecute Obama and other members of the former president's administration for supposed crimes, Barr was asked at a press conference on Monday whether that was something he was going to do."As long as I'm attorney general, the criminal justice system will not be used for partisan political ends," the attorney general responded.Trump Calls for Obama to Be Hauled Before Congress for Massive Crimes He Declines to OutlineBarr also lamented that "there have been increasing attempts to use the criminal justice system as a political weapon," adding that there've been attempts to "gin up allegations of criminality by one's political opponents based on the flimsiest of legal theories."The attorney general made sure to point out that he was not specifically referencing Trump's recent comments, going on to insist that he cannot "allow this process to be hijacked by efforts to drum up criminal investigations of either candidate."Barr also dismissed the notion that handpicked prosecutor John Durham—who is investigating how the FBI handled the probe into potential Trump campaign coordination with Russia during the 2016 election—would bring criminal charges against Biden or Obama."As to President Obama and Vice President Biden, whatever their level of involvement, based on the information I have today, I don't expect Mr. Durham's work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man," he declared. "Our concern over potential criminality is focused on others."Over the past week, the president has relentlessly accused his predecessor of unspecified crimes under the guise of "Obamagate." Trump, however, was unable to explain what crimes he was accusing Obama of committing when pressed last week, instead saying it was "very obvious to everybody."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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| Police in China, Dubai, and Italy are using these surveillance helmets to scan people for COVID-19 fever as they walk past and it may be our future normal Posted: 17 May 2020 01:19 AM PDT  Temperature-scanning $7,000 helmets can catch people running a fever. But experts are skeptical about how helpful temperature scanning will really be.
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| 'A beautiful day' in Italy, as shops and bars finally reopen Posted: 18 May 2020 02:02 AM PDT  Italy was the first European country to impose nationwide restrictions in early March, only permitting an initial relaxation of the rules on May 4, when it allowed factories and parks to reopen. Monica Robaldo, owner of the Pierre Alexis 1877 restaurant in Courmayeur, said she would not reopen before the end of May.
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| Liberal media does 180 on FBI abuses after bureau goes after Trump team Posted: 18 May 2020 04:11 AM PDT  The liberal press used to denounce FBI abuses until the Trump administration; former deputy assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division Terry Turchie weighs in.
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| Nursing homes' "original sin" may be making virus crisis worse Posted: 18 May 2020 09:29 AM PDT  Roughly one in 15 U.S. nursing homes was cited last year for failing to meet standards for "sufficient nursing staff."
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| Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warns China over interference with US journalists in Hong Kong Posted: 17 May 2020 09:25 PM PDT  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday he believed China had threatened to interfere with the work of US journalists in Hong Kong, and warned Beijing that any decision impinging on Hong Kong's autonomy could affect the US assessment of Hong Kong's status. "These journalists are members of a free press, not propaganda cadres, and their valuable reporting informs Chinese citizens and the world," Mr Pompeo said in a statement. Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, and the territory was promised a "high degree of autonomy" for 50 years. The system formed the basis of the territory's special status under US law, which has helped it thrive as a world financial centre. Mr Pompeo announced on May 6 that the State Department was delaying a report to Congress assessing whether Hong Kong enjoyed sufficient autonomy from China to continue receiving special treatment from the United States. He said at the time the delay was to allow the report to account for any actions Beijing might contemplate in the run-up to China's May 22 National People's Congress.
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| Israel court convicts settler of Palestinian arson murders Posted: 18 May 2020 08:14 AM PDT  An Israeli court Monday found a Jewish settler guilty of three murders in an arson attack that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents -- a verdict that did little to ease the bereaved family's pain. Amiram Ben-Uliel, 25, from the West Bank settlement of Shilo, was also convicted of two counts each of attempted murder and arson, along with conspiracy to commit a hate crime in the 2015 attack. Hours after the verdict, the Palestinian family devastated by the attack told AFP that justice was incomplete, having long insisted that there were several attackers.
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| Photos show Mount St. Helens historic eruption: Cars sunk in volcanic ash, people wearing masks Posted: 18 May 2020 03:46 PM PDT  Four decades ago, Mount St. Helens unleashed one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in U.S. history. See photos from the historic day.
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| UN team reports new evidence against Islamic State in Iraq Posted: 18 May 2020 06:29 PM PDT |
| Donald Trump Jr. Smears Biden With Baseless Instagram Post Posted: 17 May 2020 08:49 AM PDT  WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's eldest son on Saturday posted a social media message suggesting Joe Biden was a pedophile, an incendiary and baseless charge that illustrates the tactics the president is turning to as he attempts to erase Biden's early advantage in key state polls.Donald Trump Jr., who is one of his father's most prominent campaign surrogates, put on Instagram a picture of Biden saying: "See you later, alligator" alongside an image of an alligator saying: "In a while, pedophile."When a reporter shared the Instagram post online, the younger Trump, echoing one of his father's tactics, wrote on Twitter that he was only "joking around" and noted that he had included emojis of a laughing face.Yet in the same Twitter post, he also reprised his original insinuation. He accused the former vice president of "unwanted touching" alongside a collage of photographs of Biden showing affection for children. The misleading images were mostly taken from public swearing-in ceremonies at the Capitol, where the former vice president warmly greeted lawmakers and their families.Biden has been accused by some adult women of inappropriate behavior but he has never faced any suggestion of misconduct with a child. Trump himself faces roughly two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct, and in the "Access Hollywood" tape from 2005 bragged about sexually assaulting women and grabbing them by their private parts.Trump Jr.'s inflammatory and baseless claim, which he shared with his 2.8 million Instagram followers, comes as his father and the reelection campaign have sought to weaken Biden and attack other perceived enemies with an onslaught of allegations and insinuations rarely seen in modern elections.The 73-year-old president has, for example, purchased a series of Facebook ads openly accusing his 77-year-old Democratic rival of being "old and out of it," as one of them puts it. And the president himself has said much the same, stating Thursday that Biden "doesn't know he's alive."Trump's scorched earth campaign strategy comes as little surprise -- he has broken an array of norms during his three years in office. But his offensive has taken on a new urgency as the country reels from the health and economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus, and Biden enjoys a modest lead in the battleground states that will decide the election.A spokesman for the president's campaign did not respond to an email message asking if they condone the younger Trump's message.Andrew Bates, a spokesman for Biden, said: "No repulsive, manipulative tactic will change the subject from how almost 90,000 Americans have paid for Donald Trump's coronavirus negligence with their lives and how the booming economy he inherited from the Obama-Biden administration is now suffering from Depression-level job losses."Trump Jr., 42, is affiliated with his family's real estate business. But he spends much of his time on his father's political efforts and is ubiquitous on social media, where he often posts barbed memes about Democrats that can go beyond even the president's accusations and insinuations. The eldest Trump son is also more of a dedicated conservative than his father and often gives voice to some of the more extreme elements of the right.Further, Trump Jr. is something of an early warning system for Republican lines of attack. For months, he has been posting material questioning Biden's mental acuity and accusing him of being "creepy," as he wrote again Saturday.In an interview with Axios earlier this year, Trump Jr. acknowledged his father sometimes calls him to tell him he's being "too aggressive" in his attacks.But the younger Trump said with a smile that he tells his father he "learned it by watching you" and claimed the president often is more jealous than irritated. "He just wanted the material. He was mad I beat him to the punch."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| India reports the largest coronavirus outbreak in Asia as millions of migrant workers travel from packed cities to rural villages Posted: 18 May 2020 12:54 PM PDT  Social distancing is nearly impossible in packed, unhygienic slums at the center of the country's outbreaks.
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| Russia looks to U.S. for aid as new coronavirus cases drop to lowest since May 1 Posted: 18 May 2020 12:41 AM PDT  Russia is working on getting reciprocal medical aid from the United States, Moscow said on Monday after the country reported its lowest overnight rise in coronavirus cases since May 1. Meanwhile, Moscow is working on securing supplies of reciprocal medical aid from the United States to help it combat the coronavirus, Russia's Deputy Foreign Sergei Ryabkov said.
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| Elaphrosaur: Rare dinosaur identified in Australia Posted: 18 May 2020 11:56 AM PDT  The elaphrosaur roamed Australia 110 million years ago and was related to the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
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