| After calling off strikes on Iran, Trump suggests patience Posted: 21 Jun 2019 03:45 PM PDT  President Donald Trump said Friday he abruptly called off the swiftly planned military strikes on Iran because the likely deaths of 150 Iranians would have been so out of proportion to the shootdown of an unmanned American surveillance drone. "I am in no hurry," he wrote on Twitter, adding that increasingly severe sanctions meant to push Iran to the nuclear negotiating table are "biting" the Iranian economy. The aborted attack was a stark reminder of the potential for the escalating tensions of the past year between the U.S. and Iran to lead to full-scale conflict, even as the president repeatedly insists he does not want war and wants to negotiate with the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.
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| Curtis Flowers: Death row inmate has conviction quashed due to lack of black jurors Posted: 22 Jun 2019 03:20 AM PDT  The US Supreme Court has quashed the murder conviction of a black man on death row in Mississippi because of a prosecutor's "relentless" efforts to stop African Americans appearing on the jury at successive trials.Curtis Flowers, 49, has already been tried six times and now could face a seventh trial following the decision by the country's highest federal court.He has been in jail more than 22 years, ever since his arrest after four people were found shot dead in a furniture store in Winona, Mississippi, in July 1996.The removal of black jurors deprived inmate Mr Flowers of a fair trial, the Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh.A series of trials stretching back more than 20 years shows District Attorney Doug Evans made a "relentless, determined effort to rid the jury of black individuals," with the goal of an all-white jury in Flowers' case, Justice Kavanaugh wrote."The numbers speak loudly," Justice Kavanaugh said in a summary of his opinion that he read in the courtroom, noting that Mr Evans had removed 41 of the 42 prospective black jurors over the six trials. "We cannot ignore that history."Mr Flowers was found guilty in his first three trials, but the three convictions were overturned by the Mississippi Supreme Court due to "prosecutorial misconduct". The fourth and fifth trials ended in mistrials.He was convicted again on the sixth trial in 2010, when the jury was made up of 11 whites and one African American and Mr Evans struck five black prospective jurors – a conviction overturned on Friday.In a dissenting view, Justice Clarence Thomas called Justice Kavanaugh's opinion "manifestly incorrect" and wrote that Mr Flowers "presented no evidence whatsoever of purposeful race discrimination".Justice Thomas, the only African American currently on the Supreme Court, said: "The state is perfectly free to convict Curtis Flowers again."Mr Evans said he remained confident of Mr Flowers guilt but had not yet decided whether the state of Mississippi would order a retrial, according to American Public Media. He denied trying to exclude African Americans from the jury.Mr Flowers' defence lawyers have argued that witness statements and physical evidence against him are too weak to convict him of the killings of four furniture store workers."A seventh trial would be unprecedented, and completely unwarranted given both the flimsiness of the evidence against him and the long trail of misconduct that has kept him wrongfully incarcerated all these years," said Sheri Lynn Johnson, who represented Mr Flowers at the Supreme Court."We hope that the state of Mississippi will finally disavow Doug Evans' misconduct, decline to pursue yet another trial and set Mr Flowers free."In the course of selecting a jury, lawyers can excuse a juror merely because of a suspicion that someone would vote against their client using "peremptory strikes", but they have been the focus of the complaints about discrimination.The Supreme Court tried to stamp out discrimination in the composition of juries in the Batson v Kentucky decision in 1986, ruling that jurors couldn't be excused from service because of their race.Additional reporting by AP
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| Strait of Hormuz: key waterway under pressure Posted: 21 Jun 2019 06:10 AM PDT  The Strait of Hormuz, located in the area where Iran shot down a US military drone, is a strategically important waterway for the world's oil transits, which lies at the heart of regional tensions. Iran warned on Friday it would "decisively defend its territory" against eventual US retaliation, while the airlines KLM, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas and Singapore Airlines said they were suspending flights over the strait. The Strait of Hormuz links the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and is situated between Iran and Oman.
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| California governor proposes a $21 billion wildfire fund Posted: 21 Jun 2019 12:31 PM PDT  California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed helping utilities create a fund of up to $21 billion to compensate future victims of wildfires sparked by the companies' equipment or employees, an aide said on Friday. The proposal by the Democratic governor follows the bankruptcy filing earlier this year of San Francisco-based utility PG&E Corp, which anticipates $30 billion in liabilities from wildfires that have been blamed on its equipment, including the state's deadliest blaze which killed more than 80 people last year. The state's other two large utilities, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric, have seen their credit ratings downgraded over wildfire concerns.
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| Trump administration abortion rules can take effect, 9th Circuit Court says Posted: 20 Jun 2019 06:16 PM PDT  Trump administration rules restricting federal funding for clinics providing abortion referrals can take effect a federal appeals court said Thursday.
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| Oh My God, the Marines Have a Laser Now Posted: 21 Jun 2019 06:00 PM PDT  Wow Brace yourselves: Marine grunts now have their hands on a drone-killing laser cannon.Marines are currently evaluating a Compact Laser Weapons System (CLaWS) as "the first ground-based laser approved by the Department of Defense for use by warfighters on the ground," Marine Corps Systems Command announced on Wednesday.Unlike the Army's vehicle-mounted directed energy system, the CLaWS is "not intended to be a standalone system," according to MARCORSYSCOM, but the prototype will "serve as a component to an overall system" designed for counter-drone operations downrange."This was all in response to a need for counter unmanned aerial systems to take down drones," Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD) program manager Don Kelley said in the MARCORSYSCOM release. "We're providing CLaWS to Marines as a rapid prototype for evaluation ... Depending on the results, CLaWS could become part of a larger capability set."
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| Trump says he was 'cocked & loaded' for Iran strike but called it off at last minute Posted: 21 Jun 2019 07:04 AM PDT  In an extraordinary series of tweets, President Trump on Friday explained his rationale for calling off a retaliatory military strike against Iran over the downing of a U.S. drone.
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| The Latest: Man at execution: 'I ain't never took a life' Posted: 20 Jun 2019 07:46 PM PDT  An inmate executed by the state of Georgia for a slaying decades ago said in his last moments that he never killed anyone. From the execution chamber, 42-year-old inmate Marion Wilson Jr. told witnesses gathered for his lethal injection that "I ain't never took a life in my life." He also told family, friends and supporters "I love y'all forever" before a powerful sedative began flowing. Wilson took about 10 deep breaths, paused and then took a few more breaths before falling still.
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| These Brunch Cocktails Are What Your Mom Really Wants For Mother's Day Posted: 21 Jun 2019 01:11 PM PDT |
| In rare rebuke, Senate votes to block Trump administration's weapons deal with Saudi Arabia Posted: 20 Jun 2019 12:27 PM PDT  The unusual rebuke by the GOP-run Senate highlights a rift between Congress and the White House over the Trump administration's pro-Saudi policies.
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| Jussie Smollett: Judge orders special prosecutor to review State Attorney Kim Foxx's handling of 'Empire' actor's case Posted: 21 Jun 2019 09:09 AM PDT  A Cook County judge ruled Friday to appoint a special prosecutor to review State's Attorney Kim Foxx's handling of the Jussie Smollett case.
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| Trump: president for all eternity? Posted: 21 Jun 2019 02:20 PM PDT  President Donald Trump on Friday again joked about ignoring constitutional term limits by retweeting a meme showing him staying in the White House not just for one more term, but for eternity. The meme, ripping off an authentic Time magazine cover from October last year, portrays Trump re-election posters starting in 2024, then progressing steadily into the future. The date then rattles increasingly quickly through presidential terms, spinning past not just four years, but centuries at a time and then entire millennia.
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| Colorado shooter says he targeted kids over gender taunts Posted: 20 Jun 2019 10:09 PM PDT  A high school student charged in a classmate's death during a Colorado school shooting told police that he planned the attack for weeks and intended to target classmates who repeatedly mocked his gender identity. Written summaries of police interviews with the two suspected shooters portray 16-year-old Alec McKinney as the leader of the attack, enlisting 18-year-old Devon Erickson in the plan to kill the students who bullied McKinney, who identifies as male. Both teenagers told police that they broke into a gun safe at one of the teenager's homes before walking into the STEM School Highlands Ranch on the afternoon of May 7 with a guitar case and a backpack concealing four guns.
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| Dominican Republic deaths: What we know, including two more US tourists incidents Posted: 21 Jun 2019 06:59 AM PDT  Here's everything we know about tourist deaths and concerning incidents in the Dominican Republic so far.
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| Why India’s Hypersonic Missile Could Trigger A Nuclear War Posted: 21 Jun 2019 10:00 AM PDT  India's test of a hypersonic missile signifies more than the advance of Indian weapons technology.It also is one step closer to triggering a nuclear war with Pakistan.Ironically, the first launch of the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle, or HSTDV, was a failure. The HSTDV, which is shaped almost like a sailing ship, is supposed to be a testbed for developing future hypersonic weapons such as cruise missiles. It is launched atop an Agni 1, an Indian ballistic missile."The vehicle was test launched using the Agni 1 missile platform that was to take it up to a predetermined altitude where scramjet technology—the ability to fly at speeds in excess of Mach 6 while using atmospheric oxygen as oxidizer—had to be validated with separation of the platform and a short flight at high altitude," according to India's Economic Times."Sources said that while the missile on which the platform was mounted successfully took off from the range, the test could not be completed to demonstrate the vehicle at hypersonic speed as the Agni 1 did not reach the desired altitude for the test. Scientists are looking at the technical reasons behind this and are studying all available data."
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| Samsung reportedly seeking compensation because Apple isn’t selling enough iPhones Posted: 21 Jun 2019 08:16 AM PDT  While Samsung keeps comparing its flagship phones to the latest iPhones that Apple makes in the hopes of convincing customers that Galaxy phones are a better option, Samsung is also a huge fan of the iPhone. That's because Samsung is a supplier of iPhone parts, and these Apple deals can be very lucrative. The best example concerns the iPhone's OLED screen, which is very expensive. Samsung Display happens to be the supplier of most iPhone OLED panels, as Samsung makes the best OLED screens for smartphones. But it turns out that Samsung isn't happy with iPhone sales, and wants Apple to pay a hefty penalty for all the iPhone screens that it failed to purchase as a result of the slower than expected iPhone sales.A report from ETNews says that Samsung Display seeks compensation amounting to hundreds of billions of won, which converts to hundreds of millions of dollars. Apple had reportedly agreed to acquire a certain quality of panels from Samsung Display but then failed to meet these numbers. Samsung Display and Apple have been negotiating the matter but have yet to agree on terms.Samsung invested in an A3 display facility that would cater only to Apple, a 6th-generation flexible OLED plant that can produce about 100 million OLED iPhone screens each year. But it's unclear what the minimum supply Apple agreed to buy might've been.Production at the A3 plant fell to under 50% of capacity as demand for iPhone sales remained sluggish, the report notes. Sales for the iPhone XS generation that followed 2017's iPhone X wasn't spectacular either, and Apple was often rumored to have cut OLED panel orders as a result. Samsung Display's operating profit dropped to 2.62 trillion won last year, about half of the 5.7 trillion the company reported in 2017, a figure that perfectly reflects the smartphone sales slump. Galaxy sales have been slower than expected as well, and these devices also pack OLED screens from Samsung Display.Meeting quotas isn't the only problem between the two parties, ETNews says. Apparently, Samsung Display has experienced some manufacturing issues with some of the OLED panels it supplied to Apple, and it may have been charged a "small penalty."ETNews also notes that failing to meet quotas might be a problem for Apple's deals with other panel suppliers, although screen makers rarely seek reimbursements. Instead, Apple may ink additional display deals with those manufacturers that cover other products.Interestingly, the report notes that Apple has offered such options to Samsung Display for OLED panels that would fit tablets and notebooks. So far, but none of the existing iPads or MacBooks feature OLED screens. Earlier rumors have said that Apple is considering OLED panels for other devices, MacBooks included.
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| North Korea has more than sanctions to overcome for foreign investment - report Posted: 20 Jun 2019 10:55 PM PDT  A historic visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping this week may have bolstered Kim Jong Un's hopes that economic relief may be coming soon, but a new report reveals North Korea's road to international investment may be blocked by more than sanctions. While there are no signs that international sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear weapons will be officially lifted soon, researchers at a U.S.-based think tank say North Korea has more fundamental problems to overcome if it wants access to foreign finance. "Although an easing of sanctions imposed on the North because of its nuclear weapons program is necessary, it is not sufficient for the North to gain full access to the global capital market," said a yet-to-be published report by The Korea Society seen by Reuters.
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| Woman whose dead babies were found in home cleared of murder, convicted with lesser charges Posted: 21 Jun 2019 06:04 AM PDT  A Massachusetts woman who lived in a squalid, vermin-infested home where authorities found the remains of three babies was cleared Thursday of second-degree murder, but was convicted of lesser charges.
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| The Latest: Refinery fire controlled but still burning Posted: 21 Jun 2019 02:09 PM PDT  A fire at a refinery complex in Philadelphia is controlled and contained but still burning more than 12 hours after it started. Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy says the blaze at Philadelphia Energy Solutions started in a tank that holds a mix of propane and butane. Murphy says five employees had minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
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| Chevy Claims Its New Silverado 3500 Accelerates Quicker Than the Ram 3500—and Ram Fires Back Posted: 21 Jun 2019 12:00 PM PDT  Chevy may be down 90 lb-ft of torque from the 1000 lb-ft Ram 3500, but they still claim they can outrun the Ram, trailering or not, so the truck wars go on.
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| Gou cedes Foxconn control as he eyes Taiwan presidency Posted: 21 Jun 2019 01:16 AM PDT  Taiwan's richest man Terry Gou said on Friday he would cede control of tech giant Foxconn to a committee, leaving the Apple-supplier in uncharted waters while he runs for president. Billionaire Gou has been at the helm of Foxconn, the world's largest electronics assembler, for more than four decades but has set his sights on becoming Taiwan's next president. Taiwan goes to the polls in January, with the contest set to be dominated by relations with China.
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| Starving polar bear found in Russian city after traveling hundreds of miles Posted: 20 Jun 2019 09:45 AM PDT  A starving polar bear was found this week in Norilsk, Russia, far from its usual hunting grounds.
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| These Might Be The Coolest Pair Of Corvettes On The Planet Posted: 20 Jun 2019 01:01 PM PDT  Lingenfelter – yes, that Lingenfelter – is sponsoring a giveaway of a beautifully done 1961 Corvette Convertible restomod and a new 2019 Corvette ZR1, plus $60,000 in cash! The Corvette is having a great year. Enthusiasm is at an all-time high thanks to the imminent debut of the C8, the eighth generation of the Corvette's historic run. Before that car arrives, though, we should celebrate what came before it, and Lingenfelter Performance Engineering is sponsoring two amazing door prizes for the party. The well-respected performance tuner is sponsoring the giveaway of two amazing 'Vettes that nicely bookend the car's past and present.The first is a 1961 Corvette Convertible restomod with over $200,000 of work put into it, and the other is a fresh-from-the-factory-floor 2019 Corvette ZR1. Plus, they're throwing in an extra $60,000 to help cover your taxes – if you win, that is. > CLICK HERE to enter to win a 1961 Corvette Convertible, 2019 Corvette ZR1, and $60,000 in cash! Use promo code VJ0619C to get 50% bonus tickets!Entering is easy. Just click here and purchase however many tickets you'd like. They start at $3.00 each, but if you spend $25 or more and use promo code VJ0619C, you'll get 50 percent more for free. So if you buy 20 tickets for $25, you'll receive 30 tickets total. There's plenty of time to enter, and a portion of the proceeds will go to charities sponsored by Dream Giveaway, a well-respected company that runs this and many other online giveaways. Back to the cars. Stunning is the only word the comes to mind when looking at this '61 Corvette Convertible bathed in Tuxedo Black paint with a red leather interior. While vintage-looking on the outside, this Corvette is entirely up-to-date beneath its skin, with a 430-horsepower LS3 V8 engine and modern suspension, transmission, brakes, wheels, and even air conditioning. Paired with the '61 Corvette Convertible is the current pinnacle of all things Corvette: a 2019 ZR1. 755 horsepower. 0-60 miles per hour in 2.85 seconds. The numbers speak for themselves. This 2019 model year example comes with a lot of optional equipment, including the Premium Equipment Group, Track Performance Package, competition sports seats, custom red calipers, and eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission. The adjustable carbon fiber rear wing and Michelin Pilot Super Sport Cup 2 tires are serious hardware meant for serious speed, so plan to use this Corvette with caution. Click here to enter, and don't forget you'll receive 50 percent more tickets free if you use promo code VJ0619C. Good luck! Read More... Could This 1966 Corvette Be Any More Perfect? Vivid Orange C3 Corvette Stingray Is Highly Original
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| Huawei just launched another phone you’ll be sad you can’t buy Posted: 21 Jun 2019 07:26 AM PDT  Huawei's mobile business took a serious hit from the Trump administration this year, but that doesn't mean the Chinese smartphone maker is done launching new devices. After kicking off Honor 20 sales in several markets, the company on Friday launched a brand new handset that targets the mid-range market. However, the Nova 5 phones include a Pro version that packs the same chip that powers other Huawei flagships. Just like other Huawei phones though, the Nova 5 won't be available in the US, at least officially.The Nova 5 series is made up of three phones, per GizmoChina, including the eNova 5 Pro that features the same processor as the high-end Huawei P30 Pro and Mate 20 Pro. The other two phones in the lineup include the cheaper Nova 5 and the Nova 5i which seems to be a rebranded version of the P20 Lite (2019).The Nova 5 and Nova 5 Pro both feature a 6.39-inch OLED Full HD+ display with a single-lens camera notch at the top and an in-display fingerprint sensor.The Nova 5 Pro packs 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage, while the Nova 5 only has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The Nova 5 also features a cheaper processor, the Huawei-made Kirin 810, but this chip is also built on 7nm tech just like the Kirin 980 flagship. On the back, the phones have four cameras, including a 48-megapixel Sony sensor, 16-megapixel ultra wide angle lens, 2-megapixel depth sensor, and 2-megapixel macro lens. On the front, there's a 32-megapixel shooter with an f2.0 aperture. Both handsets run EMUI 9 based on Android 9.0 and feature 3,500 mAh batteries that support 40W fast charging.The Nova 5i, meanwhile, is a new version of the P20 Lite (2019) that packs a better camera. We're looking at a 6.4-inch LCD screen with a 24-megapixel hole-punch camera at the top. On the rear, there's a 24-megapixel primary sensor paired with a 16-megapixel ultra wide lens and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The phone's fingerprint sensor is found on the back. Other specs include the Kirin 710 processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and microSD support. The 4,000 mAh battery only supports 10W charging.The Nova 5 Pro starts at 2,999 yuan ($436) for the version with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is far less expensive than comparable phones available in the US. The Nova 5 with the same RAM and storage combo is 200 yuan cheaper (around $407), while the entry-level Nova 5i costs 1,999 yuan ($291). Preorders start on July 13th for the Nova 5 phones, and June 28th for the Nova 5i in China, with other markets to follow.
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| 11 Cool Things We Learned Driving the Tomcar TX 4X4 Posted: 21 Jun 2019 08:24 AM PDT |
| Iran's Mad Max Navy Might Just Drive Donald Trump Crazy in a War Posted: 21 Jun 2019 08:17 AM PDT  Although one can only extrapolate so much from a lone wargame, Van Riper's tactics also illustrate that motorboat swarms would only be employed as a component in a larger strategy that would likely involve long-range land-based cruise missiles, ship and drone-based reconnaissance assets to cue those missiles onto target, midget submarine attacks and naval mines.On May 16, 2019, U.S. officials cited reports that Iran had installed missiles on civilian motorboats in the Persian Gulf as a justification for a major deployment of U.S. military forces to the Middle East.(This first was posted several weeks ago.)However, this claim may ring a bit strangely to observers of Iran's military, as employing swarms of heavily armed motor boats to launch asymmetric attacks on maritime assets has long been understood to be its naval strategy—one that Tehran hasn't exactly been shy about publicizing.Take, for example, this video which depicts a swarm of rocket-armed boats unleashing a hail of rockets upon a giant mockup of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.Besides the rocket-armed motor boats, note also the presence of anti-ship ballistic missiles (detailed in this article) and other assets that could be cued to hit naval targets.
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| Medic stuns navy Seal murder trial by saying he killed wounded Isis fighter, not the accused Posted: 21 Jun 2019 03:18 AM PDT  A man left the murder trial of a decorated US navy Seal stunned after saying he killed a wounded Islamic State fighter himself – not the accused.Medic Corey Scott was called by prosecutors to testify at the military trial of special operations chief Edward Gallagher, who is accused of murdering a teenage militant in Iraq.But while he did say Mr Gallagher plunged a knife into the boy after treating him for wounds, the medic unexpectedly took the blame for the killing, claiming he suffocated him afterwards.Mr Scott said he held his thumb over the youngster's breathing tube as an act of mercy because Iraqis would have tortured him to death had he survived.A prosecutor accused Mr Scott of lying, claiming he had told investigators a different story several times and changed it only after he was granted immunity and ordered to testify.Retired army major general John Altenburg Jr said: "So you can stand up there and you can lie about how you killed the Isis prisoner so Chief Gallagher does not have to go to jail."You don't want Chief Gallagher to go to jail, do you?"In response, Mr Scott said: "He's got a wife and family. I don't think he should be spending his life in prison."Mr Gallagher has been charged with premeditated murder in the boy's death and attempted murder in the shooting of civilians.The defence has said Mr Gallagher only treated the prisoner for a collapsed lung and that disgruntled sailors fabricated the murder accusations because he was a demanding platoon leader and they didn't want him to be promoted.The US navy released a statement saying it would not drop the premeditated murder charge and that it was up to the jurors to decide the credibility of the witness.Before the stabbing, Mr Scott said that he and Mr Gallagher had stabilised the sedated prisoner who was wounded in an airstrike and that he was breathing normally through a tube inserted to clear his airway. The medic said he was shocked when Mr Gallagher stabbed the boy at least once below the collarbone.He said there was no medical reason for it and that Mr Gallagher then grabbed his medical bag and walked away. He told the courtroom at San Diego naval base: "I was startled and froze up for a little bit."I knew he was going to die anyway, and I wanted to save him from waking up to whatever would happen to him."Mr Scott added that no one asked him how the patient died.Four Seals and one former Seal have taken the stand. Mr Scott was the second to say he witnessed Mr Gallagher stab the militant. Several of the Seals also described instances when they said Mr Gallagher had fired at civilians, once shooting an old man.The seven-man jury is made up of five marines and two sailors – all veterans of war zones. A two-thirds majority – at least five – is needed to convict and anything less will end in acquittal. The navy said the jury can convict Mr Gallagher of a lesser charge, such as premeditated attempted murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life with parole. There is no minimum sentence.The trial continues.Associated Press contributed to this report
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| Turkey: Erdogan's party dominance tested in repeat poll Posted: 21 Jun 2019 04:00 AM PDT  Millions of voters in Istanbul go back to the polls for a controversial mayoral election re-run Sunday, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party tries to wrest back control of Turkey's largest city. The high-profile vote is taking place because Turkey's top election authority ruled in favor of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, AKP, and canceled the result of the March 31 vote for mayor of Istanbul, which had given a narrow victory to opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu. The controversial decision fueled concerns over democracy and the rule of law in Turkey, a NATO member that is still formally a candidate to join the European Union.
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| How Bentley Turned Itself Around Thanks to the Continental GT Posted: 21 Jun 2019 11:00 AM PDT  Bentley has come a long way since 2003, and it started with the Continental and the relatively obscure Turbo R that preceded it.
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| VIDEO: Man rushes TSA agents at Phoenix airport Posted: 21 Jun 2019 12:14 AM PDT  Phoenix airport surveillance video shows a 19-year-old man running past a security checkpoint and wrestling with TSA agents.
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| It's a girl! Anna Duggar reveals sex of baby No. 6 with Josh during beehive gender reveal Posted: 21 Jun 2019 06:42 AM PDT  Anna Duggar and husband Josh Duggar, the eldest of Jim Bob and Michelle's 19 kids, announced what their sixth child is "gonna bee" with a beehive.
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| Despite the US ban, Huawei is still China’s most attractive employer Posted: 20 Jun 2019 10:58 PM PDT  The Trump administration's inclusion of Huawei on a blacklist that bans US companies from doing business with the Chinese consumer electronics giant has generated at least one surprising side effect.Despite the fact that international vendor firms are starting to cut off the company, which stands to lose critical partners like Google and Facebook as a result of the ban, Chinese engineering students have for the second year in a row voted Huawei as the most attractive employer in the country -- the place where many of them are still highly interested in finding a job.Per CNN, Shenzhen-based Huawei beat out companies like Alibaba and Tencent on the survey of more than 50,000 Chinese students by research firm Universum that sought to identify China's most sought-after workplaces.It's a rare bright spot at the moment for a company that had ambitions perhaps as soon as this year of dethroning Samsung as the biggest smartphone maker in the world. US-led opposition pretty much ground that effort to a halt, with the company forecasting a revenue miss that equates to several billion dollars, a problem that's compounded by the potential future loss of official apps from Facebook and Google -- which are must-haves for Huawei's customers outside of China who comprise around half of its user base.Perhaps even more concerning for the company is the likelihood that it will be cut off soon from Google's Android mobile OS, precluding future Huawei handsets from getting Android and its security updates as well as denying those future handsets access to official apps from the Google Play Store.No wonder that Huawei has started promising full, 100% refunds to some customers if they buy a handset and the Google and Facebook apps that are on it now stop working because of the US ban. All of which makes it all the more interesting that there's a kind of rally-round-the-home-team feeling among Chinese students who, despite all of the above, still see the company as the place where they want to be.
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| UPDATE 2-EU agrees to extend economic sanctions on Russia until 2020 Posted: 20 Jun 2019 12:20 PM PDT ![UPDATE 2-EU agrees to extend economic sanctions on Russia until 2020]( "UPDATE 2-EU agrees to extend economic sanctions on Russia until 2020") European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to prolong until the end of January 2020 economic sanctions against Russia over the turmoil in Ukraine, a spokesman for the bloc said. The EU first slapped sanctions on Russia after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 and supported rebels fighting Kiev troops in the east of the country. "Russia sanctions unanimously extended for another six months because of a lack of Minsk Agreements implementation," said the spokesman, Preben Aman, referring to a stalled peace accord for east Ukraine.
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| US state of Georgia executes man for murder Posted: 20 Jun 2019 07:31 PM PDT  The US state of Georgia on Thursday executed a man convicted of murdering a plainclothes prison guard over 20 years ago. Marion Wilson Jr, 42, was put to death by lethal injection at 9:52 pm (0152 GMT Friday) by lethal injection at a prison in Jackson, in the center of the southern state. Wilson was convicted for a murder he committed in March 1996 as part of a task for the violent "Folk Nation" gang.
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| The Quick Read About… President Xi Jinping’s Trip to North Korea Posted: 20 Jun 2019 10:57 AM PDT  What is China's President Xi Jinping hoping to achieve when he visits North Korea? Ian Bremmer breaks down this high stakes meeting.
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| U.S. Air Force Revs Up Production of Precision Bomb Called "Worlds Largest Sniper" Posted: 21 Jun 2019 01:54 AM PDT  Hasse explained that the BLU-129 brings additional elements of attack flexibility, because instead of traveling with both very large, heavier bombs, a pilot can simply drop four BLU-129s on a target to increase blast effect.The Air Force is revving up production of the air-dropped, precision-guided BLU-129 bomb increasingly in demand by warzone commanders - so accurate, lethal and precise, it is called "the world's largest sniper."The often-requested weapon, described as an adaptable carbon fiber bomb, is specially engineered to control "field effects" and create low collateral damage resulting from air attacks."The Air Force is currently producing BLU-129 bomb bodies to address operational demand," Capt. Hope Cronin, Air Force Spokeswoman, told Warrior Maven.The BLU-129 is increasingly in demand because, among other things, it is capable of quickly tailoring its explosive charge depending upon the threat, using what's called "variable yield effects." Variable-yield effects allow for attackers to adjust the explosive power while in-flight, in some cases enabling extremely effective, yet precise, more narrowly-configured attacks."There are limited numbers of this weapon, and we want to hold onto it for those missions which need to have only that capability," Col. Gary Haase, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), told Warrior Maven in an interview last Fall at an Air Force Association Symposium.
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| The Kia Seltos Is Yet Another Small Crossover to Fit between the Soul and Sportage Posted: 20 Jun 2019 10:01 AM PDT  Kia is doubling down on small SUVs with this new model that's likely to come to the U.S. next year.
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