| Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif arrives in Biarritz in surprise visit to G7 leaders summit Posted: 25 Aug 2019 07:13 AM PDT  Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, unexpectedly flew into Biarritz on Sunday in a dramatic twist to a G7 leaders summit that is already riven by divisions over Russia, China and trade. Mr Zarif, who went straight into talks with French officials after his surprise arrival on an Iranian government Airbus, showed up as French President Emmanuel Macron attempted a high-risk diplomatic gambit to defuse a confrontation that has brought Iran and the United States to the brink of war. His presence caused immediate confusion in diplomatic circles, with a White House official saying that Donald Trump, who dined with other G7 leaders in Biarritz on Saturday night, was not informed in advance. Mr Trump's administration placed Mr Zarif under sanctions last month. But a French diplomatic source said Mr Macron informed Mr Trump of the Iranian foreign minister's visit when the two presidents had lunch on Saturday. Mr Macron then told the other leaders during dinner on Saturday night. "There was a very substantial conversation among the G7 leaders," the source said. The source added that the French and Iranian foreign ministers were also discussing "regional issues and Iran's missile programme". "We are working in total transparency with our US partners," he said. Angela Merkel said she was only informed shortly before Mr Zarif arrived. A White House official said Donald Trump was not told that Emmanuel Macron had invited Javad Zarif Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Pool via REUTERS A highly-placed French political source told the Telegraph: "That [the foreign ministers' meeting] doesn't mean that Mr Trump is actively supporting the talks, only that he is allowing them to happen. If there are advances, he can welcome them and perhaps share the credit. If nothing comes of it, he won't have to disown it because it was a French initiative. If it does succeed in reducing tension, it will be a huge diplomatic coup for Mr Macron." Earlier the French president played down briefings by his aides that the G7 leaders had mandated him to lead talks with Iran, which was quickly denied by Mr Trump who said the idea had not been discussed. Mr Macron said there was no such thing as a "G7 mandate" as the group is a forum for discussion rather than a formal structure. The Iranian foreign ministry said Mr Zarif had flown in for talks on saving the 2015 nuclear deal, but denied that Iran's missile programme was up for discussion. It said no talks with Mr Trump or the US delegation are planned. Mr Macron is hosting Mr Trump, Boris Johnson, Angela Merkel, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Canada's Justin Trudeau, and Giuseppe Conte, Italy's caretaker prime minister, at the 45th G7 summit. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets U.S. President Donald Trump for bilateral talks during the G7 summit Credit: Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS The meeting has exposed deep rifts over everything from the fires in the Amazon rain forest to Mr Trump's trade war with China, and Mr Macron has warned that it will likely be the first summit in the Group's 45 year history to end without a joint communique. There were reportedly lively discussions at Saturday night's dinner of local Basque cuisine when European leaders including Mr Johnson pushed back at Mr Trump's suggestion that Russian president Vladimir Putin, who was suspended from the G7 after annexing Crimea in 2014, should be readmitted to the forum. Mr Trump and Mr Macron have also clashed over a proposed French "digital tax" which would hit US tech giants like Google and Amazon. Mr Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on French wine in retaliation. Mr Trump sought to play down reports of division on Sunday, saying meetings so far have been "very good". "Before I arrived in France, the Fake and Disgusting News was saying that relations with the 6 others countries in the G-7 are very tense, and that the two days of meetings will be a disaster," Mr Trump tweeted. An Iranian government plane is seen on the tarmac at Biarritz airport in Anglet on Sunday Credit: REUTERS/Regis Duvignau "Well, we are having very good meetings, the Leaders are getting along very well, and our Country, economically, is doing great — the talk of the world!" Tensions between the US and Iran have spiralled since Mr Trump last year withdrew from a deal that offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear programme. Since then the US has pursued a policy of "maximum pressure" in the hope that economic hardship will force the regime in Tehran to accept a more restrictive deal and end its support for armed groups like Hizbollah. The confrontation has caused tension with European allies including Britain which still support the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran continues to hold the Stena Impero, a British flagged tanker that it seized in the Gulf in apparent retaliation for the arrest by Royal Marines of an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar in July. Gibraltar released the Adrian Darya 1, formerly the Grace 1, on August 18, despite a US legal bid to impound it. The Royal Navy sent a third warship to the provide maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. HMS Defender, a type 45 destroyer, will join the type 23 frigates HMS Kent and HMS Montrose.
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| A psychiatrist who's worked with inmates where Jeffrey Epstein was held weighs in on his death Posted: 24 Aug 2019 06:22 AM PDT  The Justice Department confirmed Friday that a psychologist OK'd Jeffrey Epstein's release from suicide watch. An expert scrutinized the medical call.
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| Bolivia president does about-face and will now accept aid to put out wildfires Posted: 25 Aug 2019 10:33 AM PDT  Bolivian President Evo Morales did an about-face on Sunday and said he was now open to international aid to fight the blazes that have engulfed rural villages and doubled in size since Thursday. Morales is also suspending his campaign for re-election for at least a week, just two months from election day, to focus on the wildfires. "There have been offers of aid," Morales told reporters on a tour of some of the impacted areas.
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| 2 women accused of shoplifting strollers and accidentally leaving their baby behind Posted: 24 Aug 2019 10:30 AM PDT  Two women were arrested for allegedly shoplifting baby strollers and accidentally leaving their own baby behind as they tried to get away.
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| A Georgia attorney thought a man hit his Mercedes with a golf ball. He ran him over and killed him, DA says Posted: 25 Aug 2019 04:08 PM PDT ![A Georgia attorney thought a man hit his Mercedes with a golf ball. He ran him over and killed him, DA says]( "A Georgia attorney thought a man hit his Mercedes with a golf ball. He ran him over and killed him, DA says") An Atlanta attorney has been charged with murder after he allegedly struck and killed a real estate investor he says hit his car with a golf ball.
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| Attorneys: Charges expected in Florida nursing home deaths Posted: 25 Aug 2019 04:10 PM PDT  Defense attorneys said Sunday that arrests are expected shortly in the case of a Florida nursing home where 12 patients died after its air conditioning power went out amid sweltering heat following Hurricane Irma in 2017. Lawrence Hashish told The Associated Press his client is one of three nurses, in addition to an administrator, expecting to be charged in connection with the deaths after Hurricane Irma, which blew through Florida on Sept. 10 of that year. The storm knocked out a transformer linking the main air-conditioning unit to the power grid at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, sending temperatures soaring .
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| Journalist killed in Mexico Posted: 24 Aug 2019 10:32 PM PDT  The head of a Mexican news website was found stabbed to death in the center of the country, authorities said Saturday, the 10th such killing this year. The body of Nevith Condes Jaramillo "was found Saturday morning... showing injuries from a sharp object," the state prosecutor said in a statement. Condes Jaramillo, 42, was the head of a local news site in Tejupilco and was also an announcer on a community radio station.
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| BlackRock Mideast Foray May Grow With Israel Infrastructure Push Posted: 25 Aug 2019 04:51 AM PDT ![BlackRock Mideast Foray May Grow With Israel Infrastructure Push]( "BlackRock Mideast Foray May Grow With Israel Infrastructure Push") (Bloomberg) -- The world's largest asset manager BlackRock Inc. could add to its footprint in the Middle East by joining Israel's infrastructure boom.Representatives of the Israeli government and the New York-based financial giant are discussing an investment in the country's infrastructure, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top economic adviser Avi Simhon.BlackRock expressed interest in an investment and Israel offered to help with any regulatory barriers, he said in an interview this month in Jerusalem, adding that it was too early for specifics. A spokeswoman for BlackRock in Israel declined to comment.To cope with a low-interest rate world, investors have looked to real assets including infrastructure to wring greater returns not tied to stock and bond prices. BlackRock Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink has said the firm was chasing opportunities across the Middle East, broadening its reach to attract customers outside the U.S. in pursuit of what he sees as untapped potential abroad.BlackRock, which has nearly $7 trillion in assets under management, joined KKR & Co. in February in agreeing to invest $4 billion in Abu Dhabi's oil pipelines, securing two decades of guaranteed returns. In April, Fink was among executives in attendance at a financial summit in Riyadh, with BlackRock launching a dedicated Saudi exchange-traded fund tracking the kingdom's mid- and large-cap companies.Toehold in IsraelThe money manager has already been increasing its presence in Israel, after opening its first office in the country two years ago. It's partnered with local institutional investor Altshuler Shaham Group, and this summer cross-listed some of its exchange-traded funds on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.Infrastructure may be next, especially now that the government is getting serious about giving the $370 billion economy a makeover. Netanyahu faces voters in a bid for reelection next month, potentially endangering his cabinet. Israel has the worst traffic congestion in the developed world.The Jewish State will invest billions of shekels over the coming decade on projects that range from roads and ports, to a metro in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv. Public-private partnerships are one way that Israel is hoping to fund such spending.Infrastructure BonanzaA team appointed by Israel's Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon in 2017 recommended significantly boosting infrastructure investment by 2030. Anticipated public-private partnerships will amount to about 48 billion shekels ($13.7 billion).Simhon, the chair of Israel's National Economic Council, said the country is dedicated to improving infrastructure and should boost spending. "We'll do it even if it means increasing our budget deficit," he said.To contact the reporter on this story: Ivan Levingston in Tel Aviv at ilevingston@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Paul Abelsky, Stefania BianchiFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Felix Sater: Trump wanted to reveal my secret CIA, FBI work during the campaign Posted: 24 Aug 2019 12:00 PM PDT  During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump wanted to reveal years of secret work that his one-time real estate adviser Felix Sater did for the CIA and FBI, Sater tells the Yahoo News "Skullduggery" podcast.
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| Exclusive: Iran says it will not negotiate missile work, wants to export more oil Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:34 AM PDT  Iran wants to export a minimum of 700,000 barrels per day of its oil and ideally up to 1.5 million bpd if the West wants to negotiate with Tehran to save a 2015 nuclear deal, two Iranian officials and one diplomat told Reuters on Sunday. A second official said "Iran's ballistic missile program cannot and will not be negotiated.
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| Prince Andrew took flight on Epstein private jet with Russian model Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:39 AM PDT  In 1999, prince and Anna Malova were among nine people on previously undisclosed flight from the US Virgin Islands to FloridaPrince Andrew in 2013. Photograph: Koji Sasahara/APPrince Andrew took a previously undisclosed flight on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet with a group that included a Russian model.Andrew and Anna Malova, then 27, were among nine people on Epstein's plane for a trip from the US Virgin Islands to Florida in February 1999, according to flight logs.Malova was later jailed in the US for failing to comply with a court-ordered programme relating to her use of prescription painkillers.The discovery of the flight added to pressure on Andrew over his friendship with Epstein, who this month was found dead at 66 in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. The city medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.Andrew has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. He said in a statement on Saturday that he did not "see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort" that led to Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from an underage girl. The prince said it was a mistake to have continued seeing Epstein after that.The February 1999 flight, first reported by the Sunday Times, was recorded in logs kept by Epstein's pilots that were filed to a US court by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has alleged she was used as a sex slave by Epstein.The flight log was among almost 2,000 pages of records released by a federal judge in New York this month. It was missing from the notorious 73 pages of previously released Epstein flight logs, some of which also named Andrew as a passenger.The group flew from St Thomas, the airport closest to Epstein's private island, Little St James, to Palm Beach in Florida, where Epstein had a mansion. The disgraced money manager is accused of abusing underage girls at both properties and other sites.There is no suggestion Malova or Andrew were involved in any wrongdoing during the trip.They and Epstein were joined on the flight by others including Epstein's close friend Ghislaine Maxwell, a daughter of the late financier Robert Maxwell who has been accused by several victims of assisting Epstein's abuse of girls. Maxwell denies this.Also present was Gwendolyn Beck, a former financial industry executive and friend of Epstein, who made a failed run for Congress in Virginia in 2014. Epstein donated more than $12,000 to Beck's campaign.Malova did not respond to an email. A former Miss Russia, she moved to the US and made it to the final of the 1998 Miss Universe beauty pageant, which was then owned by Donald Trump – another former friend of Epstein.In 2010 she was accused of forging a prescription for Vicodin from a stolen doctor's pad. She was jailed in May 2011 after repeatedly arriving late for a court-mandated drug programme. She denied all the charges against her.Last week it was alleged that Andrew was once seen receiving a foot massage from "two young well-dressed Russian women" at Epstein's home in Manhattan. The claim was made in an email by the literary agent John Brockman, another former Epstein associate.Last week also saw the release of video of Andrew at Epstein's New York City home in 2010.
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| Montana is back among states without state-funded preschool Posted: 24 Aug 2019 08:20 AM PDT  Montana enters the upcoming school year back among the handful of states without publicly funded preschool, and the unions and education groups that are otherwise staunch allies of Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock are a big reason why his fledgling pre-kindergarten program fizzled. The state briefly broke from those ranks with a 2017 budget item that provided funding for preschool programs through 10 school districts and seven private providers. Bullock, who is now running for the Democratic nomination for president, touted it as a major win for one of his top priorities of his final term: early childhood education.
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| Islamic scholar Ramadan targeted by new rape complaint Posted: 24 Aug 2019 05:44 PM PDT  Tariq Ramadan, a leading Islamic scholar charged in France with raping two women, has also been accused of taking part in the gang rape of a journalist, French judicial sources said Sunday. The sources confirmed reports on Europe 1 radio and in Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper that a woman in her 50s had accused Ramadan, 56, of raping her along with a member of his staff when she went to interview the academic at a hotel in Lyon in May 2014. The woman, who filed a criminal complaint in May 2019, also accused Ramadan of issuing "threats or acts of intimidation" aimed at dissuading her from reporting the alleged attack to the police, the judicial sources added.
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| How conservatives are making the best case against the death penalty Posted: 25 Aug 2019 03:00 AM PDT  There are many reasons to oppose capital punishment. People of faith have reasons to be against it. So do people who see the inequities in the system.
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| Lindsey Graham warns Trump not to pull all U.S. forces out of Afghanistan Posted: 25 Aug 2019 11:32 AM PDT  Trump has long been eager to withdraw American troops out of the country.
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| Bat poo no longer blights church and interrupts service, as worshippers rejoice over new scheme Posted: 25 Aug 2019 02:00 PM PDT  Enticing the next generation through their ancient doors, keeping donations topped up and ensuring that the organ is tuned usually rank high among any church's list of priorities. For one congregation in Leicester, however, their problems have been somewhat more ungodly. For years, members of All Saints Church in Braunston-in-Rutland have been plagued by faeces dropping from the ceiling where a 500-strong colony of bats now reside. This has meant that instead of praying or enjoying the 1,000-year-old church building, parishioners have been slipping on its floors, art and furniture has been covered in sheeting and volunteer wardens have spent hours scouring pews and floors of bat excrement. Now, however, the congregation remains clean and dry. Following a pioneering new scheme, entitled the Bats in Churches project, work has been done to fill the gaps in the ceiling to prevent faeces and urine soaking through without harming the animals. It is illegal to stop bats - which are a protected species - from reaching their roost, leaving many churches unable to patch up holes in their walls and doors which bats use for access. As a result, many congregations across the country have often found themselves at the receiving end of their sporadic, plunging excrement. Gail Rudge at All Saints Church at Braunston in Rutland, where bats have roosted and caused damage Credit: ./Photo Copyright John Robertson, 2017. All Saints Church was one of the first to benefit from £3.8million of Heritage Lottery Funds to reduce the impact of bats on the buildings across the UK. It is one of around 100 churches, which hosts a large bat roost, which is now reaping the rewards of clean floors and clean congregants. Sue Willetts, church warden, told the BBC: "Before, we had covers down on the floors to collect the droppings. "We had to clean the pews every time, it took an hour before every single service. Now we use the church how its meant to be." Mrs Willetts said that the bat problem "snowballed" five years ago when an old chimney in the village collapsed, prompting its residents to move into the church instead. She added that after signing up to the scheme, ecologists found gaps between the roof and the church and it was possible to block these gaps without harming the bats. She estimated that the church has received £100,000 worth of scaffolding, building, and ecological study works since applying for funding from the project. Rosemary Riddell, from the Bat in Churches project, said work at All Saints Church "has enabled us to sort of roll out solutions to other churches similar to Braunstone and it's really helped us to learn from their experiences". "[The church] was one of our guinea pigs and we're grateful for their engagement and involvement," she added. More than 100 churches have applied for the Bats and Churches Partnership, which monitors bats to see whether church managers could be allowed to take action to protect their historic buildings. It is funded by a multi-million-pound National Lottery grant. All Saints Church at Braunston in Rutland, Credit: ./Photo Copyright John Robertson, 2017. During the General Synod earlier this summer, The Telegraph reported that bats in the belfry were being mooted as a potential "tool for mission". Bishops visiting York were asked to answer more than 100 questions involving an array of controversial topics such as reporting abuse during confession, non-disclosure agreements and ethical investments in large technology companies; and one was on bats. The Archdeacon of Lincoln, the Venerable Gavin Kirk, asked for an update on the progress of the Bats in Churches project, and "how those afflicted by bats may find out more about it?" Sir Tony Baldry, chair of the Church Buildings Council, responded: "A number of projects involve volunteers from the community in managing and even exploiting the presence of bats, for school projects and the like. Bats might even prove to be a tool for mission, if we can get them to behave politely." Asked how bats may prove to be tools for mission, Sir Tony told the media: "We have to work out how to encourage them out of the belfry to roost in bat boxes in churchyards. "They could then be of interest for projects for schools and A-level students studying the life cycles of bats and so on. They are part of God's creation and are interesting mammals. "There are serious challenges. They poo and urinate over large parts of the church, it is very distressing for parishioners on a Sunday to have to clear a whole load of bat poo off the altar and pews and so for some churches that bats have made almost unusable."
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| UPDATE 3-Israel says air strike in Syria sent 'no immunity' message to Iran Posted: 25 Aug 2019 05:51 AM PDT ![UPDATE 3-Israel says air strike in Syria sent 'no immunity' message to Iran]( "UPDATE 3-Israel says air strike in Syria sent 'no immunity' message to Iran") JERUSALEM/DAMASCUS, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Israel said on Sunday an air strike against an arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Syria that it accused of planning "killer drone attacks" showed Tehran that its forces were vulnerable anywhere. A senior Revolutionary Guards commander denied that Iranian targets had been hit late on Saturday and said its military "advisory centres have not been harmed", the semi-official ILNA news agency reported.
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| Britain sends another warship to Gulf Posted: 24 Aug 2019 11:26 AM PDT  A third British warship is heading to the Gulf, the Royal Navy announced Saturday, amid heightened tensions in the region. Britain has already sent the HMS Kent to cover for frigate HMS Montrose while it undergoes maintenance in nearby Bahrain, and is now redirecting the Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender from its mission to the Pacific. Britain outraged Iran by seizing one of its tankers -- the Grace 1 -- on July 4 on suspicion it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes aim at the Electoral College Posted: 23 Aug 2019 06:40 PM PDT  Extreme Democrats now running the Democratic Party; reaction from Charlie Hurt, Washington Times opinion editor, Allie Beth Stuckey, 'Relatable' podcast host, and Washington Examiner senior campaign reporter Kerry Picket.
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| Oregon defends past nonunanimous jury verdicts to high court Posted: 24 Aug 2019 01:29 PM PDT  Oregon's criminal justice system would be "overwhelmed" if the U.S. Supreme Court rules in an upcoming case that nonunanimous jury verdicts are unconstitutional, the state's attorney general has told the court. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in an amicus brief on Friday that if the U.S. Supreme Court finds nonunanimous juries unconstitutional, it could invalidate hundreds or even thousands of convictions in Oregon. Oregon is the only state in America allowing 11-1 or 10-2 jury verdicts in criminal trials, except first-degree murder convictions.
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| Immigration: Baby girl in critical condition after illegal border crossing in Texas Posted: 24 Aug 2019 01:57 PM PDT  A baby girl is in critical condition after being detained by the U.S. with her father. They had crossed the Rio Grande illegally in a group of 21 people.
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| NJ Cop Sent to Psychiatric Ward After Wife’s Slaying Will Finally Face Judge Posted: 24 Aug 2019 08:20 PM PDT  Chip East/ReutersA New Jersey cop accused of breaking into his estranged wife's home, shooting her, and then chasing her into the streets to put a final bullet in her head—all while in uniform—will finally face a judge next week.Newark Lt. John Formisano was arrested a couple of hours after the July 15 slaying. But instead of being brought to court, he was taken to a psychiatric unit after telling investigators that he "blacked out" just before the shooting.According to a police affidavit, the 49-year-old exhibited "suicidal behavior." Five weeks later, he was still in the hospital and had not been arraigned in a court of law—frustrating victim Christie Solaro-Formisano's family."What we feel is we want to have some justice. Any justice can bring a small fraction of peace and closure," her aunt, Joy Mandara, said earlier this week. "Right now, it seems justice is working very slowly and differently from how we expected."Uniformed Cop Who Allegedly Gunned Down Screaming Wife Hasn't Faced JusticeAfter The Daily Beast and local media reported on the delay, the wheels of justice seemed to speed up. Prosecutors confirmed Saturday that there will be a hearing in the case on Wednesday, and that Formisano will appear via video hookup from the psychiatric unit.Before the hearing was scheduled, prosecutors had insisted Formisano was not getting special treatment because he is a police officer."If this defendant was a house painter or a businessman on Wall Street in the same circumstances, it would have been handled in the same way," a spokesman for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office told The Daily Beast earlier in the week.At the time of the shooting, Solaro-Formisano and the Newark lieutenant were in the process of getting a divorce.Formisano told investigators that he went to her home to drop off glasses for their 8-year-old daughter, the older of their two children. The mother of two was home with her boyfriend, and went down to the door."He's got a gun!" Solaro-Formisano yelled, according to the boyfriend. "Call 911!"A nightmarish scene ensued. Formisano allegedly chased his estranged wife through the house, shooting at her, then broke down the bedroom door and shot the boyfriend in the abdomen, thigh, arms, and hand.Bleeding from her wounds, Solaro-Formisano ran outside. She was scrambling up the steps to a neighbor's house when the cop allegedly caught up to her and shot her in the head.The neighbor called 911 and identified the gunman. "He's a Newark cop. He lives on the corner. I saw it. I saw him through my window. He's in his uniform," she told the dispatcher.N.J. Cop Claims He 'Blacked Out' Before Killing Estranged Wife, Shooting Her Boyfriend: AuthoritiesAccording to police, Formisano locked his service weapon in the trunk of his car, tossed his cellphone and drove 30 miles. He was nabbed in a parking lot.During a police interview, he did not deny his role in the bloodshed."After entering the residence, Formisano stated he began to suspect that [his estranged wife] had a male guest in the bedroom, at which point he 'blacked out,'" the police affidavit said."He stated that he recalls firing his weapon numerous times."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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| 2020 decisions don't have to be either far left or road to hell: Today's Toon Posted: 25 Aug 2019 11:41 AM PDT  Want to keep up with USA TODAY's editorial cartoons? Bookmark this page. We'll update it frequently.
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| Top aides say Trump still determined to hike China tariffs Posted: 25 Aug 2019 07:19 AM PDT  Trump confused the situation Sunday when asked at the G-7 summit whether he is having second thoughts about ratcheting up the trade war with China.
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| South Korea begins annual war games to defend against Japan Posted: 24 Aug 2019 07:16 PM PDT  South Korea Sunday began two days of war games to practise defending disputed islands off its east coast against an unlikely attack from Japan, further stoking tensions between the Asian neighbours. The annual drills come just days after Seoul terminated a military intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo, with the countries at loggerheads over Japan's use of forced labour during World War II. The two-day exercise will involve warships and aircraft, the South Korean navy said in a text message without providing more detail.
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| WRAPUP 5-Hezbollah leader says Israeli army to face quick retaliation to drone "attack" in Beirut Posted: 25 Aug 2019 11:02 AM PDT ![WRAPUP 5-Hezbollah leader says Israeli army to face quick retaliation to drone "attack" in Beirut]( "WRAPUP 5-Hezbollah leader says Israeli army to face quick retaliation to drone \"attack\" in Beirut") Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday warned the Israeli army stationed along the border with Lebanon that his movement was preparing an imminent response to two Israeli drones which crashed overnight in a suburb of Beirut. Nasrallah, whose Iran-backed movement fought a one-month war with Israel in 2006, issued the toughest warnings to his enemy in years.
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| Muslim man left in coma after Thai army interrogation dies Posted: 25 Aug 2019 12:22 AM PDT  A Muslim man left in a coma after being interrogated at a notorious Thai detention centre died Sunday, as pressure mounts on the army to release further findings of a probe into the case. Abdulloh Esormusor, a suspected rebel from the country's restive south died early Sunday morning, more than a month after he was taken to the Inkayuth military camp, his cousin Mohammatrahmat Mamu told AFP. Inkayuth is the Thai army's biggest detention centre in the south, where suspects are taken for interrogation and held under emergency laws and where rights groups have documented torture.
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| G7 nations close to agreement on tackling Amazon fires: Macron Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:27 AM PDT  French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday the leaders of the world's major industrialized nations were close to an agreement on how to help fight the Amazon forest fires and try to repair the devastation. "There's a real convergence to say: 'let's all agree to help those countries hit by these fires'," he told reporters in Biarritz, which is hosting the annual summit of leaders from the Group of Seven nations. Macron shunted the Amazon fires to the top of the summit agenda after declaring them a global emergency, and kicked off discussions about the disaster at a welcome dinner for fellow leaders on Saturday.
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| 51 homes, 3 businesses lost in Alaska wildfire Posted: 24 Aug 2019 07:51 AM PDT  A wildfire burning north of Anchorage, Alaska, has destroyed 51 homes and three businesses, officials said Friday. Another 84 buildings between the communities of Willow and Talkeetna, about 70 miles north of the state's largest city, also have been destroyed, fire information manager Kale Casey said. Hundreds of people have been evacuated because of the fire that started Sunday night along the Parks Highway, the main thoroughfare that connects Anchorage to Denali National Park and Preserve and Fairbanks.
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| Want to visit all 61 national parks in America? Here are 7 tips to help Posted: 25 Aug 2019 04:00 AM PDT ![Want to visit all 61 national parks in America? Here are 7 tips to help]( "Want to visit all 61 national parks in America? Here are 7 tips to help") This couple visited all 61 national parks this year — primarily via van — finishing their journey earlier this month.
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| Lisa Bloom: lawyer in Epstein case speaks of suffering sexual abuse Posted: 25 Aug 2019 04:00 AM PDT  Bloom, representing two alleged victims of financier, says being a survivor 'has enabled me to have a lot of compassion'Lisa Bloom in London, on 8 May 2017. Photograph: Tom Nicholson/REX/ShutterstockLisa Bloom, the powerhouse lawyer who has risen to prominence in the MeToo era, has spoken of suffering sexual abuse herself.The experience, she said, left her feeling suicidal."I blamed myself," Bloom told the Guardian. "I thought it was my fault. I had no idea who to talk to, or what to say."At the age of 18, she said, she found her way to a therapist."I think experience as an abuse survivor has enabled me to have a lot of compassion and understanding for my clients," she said. "I know everything they're going through because I've gone through it myself."I understand the shame and fear, but I also understand how empowering and liberating it is to tell your story. I tell my clients 'this happened to you, but it does not define you.'"In recent years, Bloom and her mother and fellow attorney Gloria Allred have stood prominently counter to a parade of mostly white, middle-aged and famous men accused of sexual misconduct.Both are media-savvy practitioners of the law of women's rights. Both are veterans of the courtroom and press-call soundbite. Both have, in one way or another, stood against the crimes or alleged but uncharged conduct of Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, Les Moonves, Roger Ailes, Charlie Rose and Donald Trump.In an email to the Guardian, Bloom named her alleged abuser. The Guardian was however not immediately able to contact the man for comment."I don't know if he is still alive," Bloom wrote, in part. "I assume so. I have spoken about being sexually assaulted/abused but I have not named him before publicly." 'A good measure of justice'Amid a slew of MeToo cases, Allred and Bloom have remained prominent. Where there is no criminal case, often because the statute of limitations has expired, there is still the court of public opinion. There is a news conference to name the alleged perpetrator, followed by relentless media coverage. Eventually the scales tip, advertisers are spooked and, in the case of many media figures, corporations are forced to act.A case in point was Bloom's takedown of the Fox News host Bill O'Reilly."He would never talk to her, not even hello, except to grunt at her like a wild boar," Bloom told the Hollywood Reporter, recounting the claims of an African American Fox staffer. "He would leer at her. He would always do this when no one else was around and she was scared."> We still have an opportunity in the civil system, and that is to demand full and fair compensation for Epstein's victimsFor Bloom, "Operation O'Reilly" culminated when she said the nickname her client said O'Reilly gave her: "Hot Chocolate". Amid a deluge of reports of settled sexual harassment suits, TV's most feared pro-Trumper was toast.Bloom is now representing two alleged victims of Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who was friends with the rich and powerful but who killed himself in a Manhattan jail two weeks ago.Speaking in New York during her lunch break on Friday – from litigating, she said, a sexual harassment case she was confident would result in multimillion-dollar judgement – Bloom said her mission in representing the alleged Epstein victims was "to deliver justice that was denied when jail authorities allowed Epstein to kill himself".Bloom has filed suit against Epstein's estate and an alleged co-conspirator, named in court documents as Sue Roe. The suit alleges that two hostesses at the Coffee Shop in New York City's Union Square were approached regarding "opportunities" to "perform what they thought were massages on [Epstein] for cash payments".Unbeknown to the women, the suit says, the financier went on to "sexually touch" them "against their will and force them to watch him masturbate".Epstein's death, Bloom says, meant the women "were denied accountability in the criminal justice system. But we still have an opportunity in the civil system, and that is to demand full and fair compensation for his victims from his estate."Money, she said, "is a good measure of justice in many ways"."It makes a big difference. It's a deterrent for people who do bad things and it can help victims get therapy, pay medical bills, go back to school, pay off debt and start a new life. It's very meaningful to to them."Epstein faced federal charges more than a decade ago but in a controversial deal pleaded guilty to a lesser state charge in Florida and was permitted to serve a 13-month sentence in which he spent six days out of seven at his office. It now appears he continued to receive visits from young women. His sentence completed, he returned to public life, largely unscathed.For offenders who enjoy the protective cocoon of extreme wealth, Bloom reasons, the only thing that really makes a difference is a loss of privilege."Power corrupts and extreme wealth corrupts," she said. "Wealthy people believe they are above the law because in many cases they are above the law. Look at Jeffrey Epstein. He got away with this for years. He had a system of recruiters to bring underage girls to him. Anytime a predator gets away with this, they feel impervious to legal consequences." 'Represent the underdogs'Bloom's initiation into the world of women's rights and the law came through her mother, an attorney who achieved celebrity herself. Among her high-profile cases, Allred was the first woman to challenge the Friars Club of Beverly Hills, because she was denied certain benefits of membership. She also sued the archdiocese of Los Angeles over sexual abuse by Catholic priests and represented the family of Nicole Brown Simpson, the murdered ex-wife of OJ Simpson.Lisa Bloom and Janice Dickinson announce a settlement in their defamation lawsuit against Bill Cosby in Woodland Hills, California, on 25 July. Photograph: Frederick M Brown/Getty ImagesBloom attended Yale Law School, she has said, because she "wanted to represent the underdogs". She and her mother have worked well together: they were once profiled in W magazine under the headline "Defenders of Women in 2017".Bloom's practice is now 100% for the victims of sexual misconduct and she has given up representing accused men. That decision came after she found herself on the wrong side of the Weinstein story.While her mother took on two of Weinstein's alleged victims, in initial stages of the case Bloom advised the accused. It was a surprising choice: Weinstein had optioned her book about the slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin.> The pendulum needs to keep swinging … because we've been living through an epidemic of sexual harassment and assault> > Lisa BloomBloom initially defended her work, saying the former Hollywood producer was trying to change his ways.Now, she said: "The problem was that Harvey Weinstein ended up being about a great deal more than inappropriate language. When the first woman accused him of sexual assault I was out of there. When the deluge came, I just felt mortified I'd ever associated with him."Some suggest famous men accused of sexual misconduct have lost the right to clear their name, given the highly public cases of Weinstein, O'Reilly, Ailes, Cosby and others.Bloom recognizes that men have been going through their own awakening to the realities of sexual harassment. But she doesn't believe the pendulum has swung too far."The pendulum needs to keep swinging in favor of women because we've been living through an epidemic of sexual harassment and assault," she said. "I believe the MeToo movement is long overdue and profoundly important."Ultimately, she said, it's a question of due process, of going to court and trying cases there."I love being in that environment where there has to be evidence and witnesses," she said, "not just people swinging allegations back and forth. The brave women who are standing up now are sending a message to predators that their day of reckoning is coming."
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| Joe Biden is my Harvard, not my 'safety school.' He really is my favorite 2020 Democrat. Posted: 25 Aug 2019 10:39 AM PDT  Pundits say there's no enthusiasm for Joe Biden. Why is it so hard to believe that many people, including me, like him best of all the 2020 Democrats?
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| CNN’s Brian Stelter: ‘We Can't Tiptoe’ Around Trump’s Mental Instability ‘Anymore’ Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:33 AM PDT  CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter called on media outlets to focus more coverage on what he feels is President Trump's obvious mental instability, saying Sunday morning that it is an issue we can no longer "tiptoe around.""He's getting worse," Stelter said at the top of his weekend show focussing on the media CNN's Reliable Sources. "We can see it. It's happening in public but it's still a very hard, very sensitive story to cover. I'm talking of course about President Trump, about his behavior, about his instability."Noting that several prominent conservative figures—notably, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway's husband—are pleading with the press and Republicans to take the president's erratic behavior more seriously, the CNN host then ticked off a list of the president's comments and actions that have raised eyebrows."Look, all of these stories are covered in the moment, individually, by reporters," Stelter said. "News outlets use words like erratic, volatile, unstable but rarely are Trump's words and actions covered as a whole and rarely do news outlets take it to that next level. Okay, what he just said seems crazy—what does that reveal about him? We rarely see it go to that next step."Pointing out that Trump will always have a chorus of supporters backing him up and defending him, the CNN media analyst added that Trump's "Fox fans pretend the worst episodes didn't happen at all or blame the media for bad coverage."While Stelter went on to credit CNN and MSNBC for doing a decent job of showing the "ugly reality" with their on-screen graphics, he also stated that there is not "really a vocabulary" or a "format" for covering concerns about a president's mental well-being. "It's really a series of questions that no one is able to answer," he declared. "Why does he make it all about himself even after visiting a hospital after a massacre? Why does he lie so often? Is there a method to the madness or is something wrong? Is he suffering from some sort of illness? It's questions, questions and then just more questions."Prior to bringing on two psychiatrists to debate the ethics of media outlets openly discussing the president's mental fitness, Stelter ended his monologue by noting "we can't tiptoe around it anymore.""We've got to talk about this," he concluded. "So let's talk about it. Let's do it."This isn't the first time that Stelter has taken to the air to speculate about the president's mental health. In Aug. 2017, the CNN personality wondered aloud why more journalists weren't asking the "uncomfortable questions" about whether Trump was fit for office or "suffering from some kind of illness." And in Jan. 2018, called on reporters to do "more reporting" on Trump's possible mental instability. 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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| On this day, the British set fire to Washington, D.C Posted: 24 Aug 2019 03:43 AM PDT  The United States capital of Washington, D.C., burned on this day in 1814, but it may have been an act of nature that forced the British from the besieged city.
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| China Signals Intervention as Hong Kong’s Protests Intensify Posted: 25 Aug 2019 11:43 AM PDT ![China Signals Intervention as Hong Kong's Protests Intensify]( "China Signals Intervention as Hong Kong's Protests Intensify") (Bloomberg) -- China sent the strongest warning yet of using troops on Hong Kong's streets where Beijing says protests have turned into a "Color Revolution," with water cannons and tear gas fired in skirmishes between police and demonstrators in the 12th straight weekend of unrest."It's not only China central government's authority but also its responsibility to intervene when riots take place in Hong Kong," the state-run Xinhua News Agency said Sunday in a commentary, recalling comments by former top leader Deng Xiaoping saying Beijing has to act under such circumstances.President Donald Trump on Aug. 13 said reports from U.S. intelligence agencies show the Chinese government is moving troops to its border with Hong Kong. A day earlier, Global Times, a Chinese tabloid run by the People's Daily, reported that the Chinese People's Armed Police were assembling in Shenzhen ahead of "apparent large-scale exercises," where "numerous" armored personnel carriers, trucks and other vehicles of the paramilitary force were seen heading toward Hong Kong's neighboring city.In Sunday's commentary, Xinhua said Hong Kong's protests have turned into a Color Revolution aimed at overturning the Special Administrative Region's constitutional institutions, a signal it was ready to take further action. Previously, Chinese officials had described the protests as having some characteristics of a "color revolution."Protesters' violent acts have pushed Hong Kong to an extremely dangerous edge, the city's government said in a statement after a day full of violent clashes between demonstrators and the police where an officer fired warning shots in the air.\--With assistance from Dandan Li.To contact the reporter on this story: Jacob Gu in New York at jgu3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Kean Zhang at kzhang65@bloomberg.net, Steve Geimann, James LuddenFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 200,000 Rohingya rally to mark 'Genocide Day' in Bangladesh camps Posted: 25 Aug 2019 08:30 AM PDT  Some 200,000 Rohingya rallied in a Bangladesh camp Sunday to mark two years since they fled a violent crackdown by Myanmar forces, just days after a second failed attempt to repatriate the refugees. During the brutal August 2017 offensive, around 740,000 of the Muslim minority escaped Myanmar's Rakhine state -- joining those who had fled earlier persecution. A total of nearly one million refugees now live in three dozen squalid camps in Bangladesh's southeastern border district of Cox's Bazar.
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| UPDATE 1-Seven killed in collision between helicopter, small plane in Mallorca Posted: 25 Aug 2019 08:22 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Seven killed in collision between helicopter, small plane in Mallorca]( "UPDATE 1-Seven killed in collision between helicopter, small plane in Mallorca") Seven people, including two minors, were killed on Sunday in a collision between a helicopter and a light plane on the Spanish island of Mallorca, the regional government said. Five people were on board the helicopter, two of them minors, and they were all likely Germans, the Balearic Islands government said on Twitter. Emergency services were notified of the crash at 1:35 p.m. time in the municipality of Inca.
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| Married only minutes, Texas newlyweds killed in crash Posted: 24 Aug 2019 06:22 PM PDT ![Married only minutes, Texas newlyweds killed in crash]( "Married only minutes, Texas newlyweds killed in crash") Harley Morgan was still wearing his dark suit and Rhiannon Boudreaux her wedding dress when the Texas "childhood sweethearts" were killed in a crash with a truck minutes after they were married. Nineteen-year-old Morgan and 20-year-old Boudreaux were pronounced dead Friday at the scene by the same justice of the peace who had just married them. You may kiss the bride," said Orange Police Cpt.
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| 'I thought she was going to die': Parents separated from children after Mississippi ICE raids Posted: 24 Aug 2019 06:43 AM PDT  More than two weeks after massive ICE raids in Mississippi, multiple parents of young children remain in detention.
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| Innocent man jailed for 82 days and loses jobs for bringing three jars of honey back to US Posted: 25 Aug 2019 02:00 PM PDT  Leon Haughton likes honey in his tea.Which is why during his Christmas visit to relatives in Jamaica, he made his regular stop and bought three bottles from a favourite roadside stand before heading home to Maryland.
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| British Airways Bank Holiday chaos as thousands of holidaymakers spend hours on the phone trying to salvage plans Posted: 25 Aug 2019 10:00 AM PDT  Thousands of British Airways passengers faced Bank Holiday chaos as they spent hours on the phone trying to rebook cancelled flights in the wake of the pilot strike. The pilots are on 9, 10 and 27 September, but the airline also told customers with tickets booked on other days that their flights were cancelled. However, it later admitted that these emails were sent in error, after many passengers had already rebooked flights at their own expense. As so many passengers were affected, the phone lines were jammed all day, with customers spending up to four hours on the phone during the hottest Bank Holiday August weekend on record. Some said they had tried to call the airline up to 200 times - and received no reply. The BBC's North America editor, Jon Sopel, was caught up in the chaos. He tweeted: "Dear British Airways. "This morning you wrote saying our flight was cancelled from Washington, and that we needed to rebook. We rebooked. Now you've written to say our flight is not cancelled after all. So what the ..... are we meant to do now? Thanks". BA said it received nearly 40,000 calls in the first 24 hours and had put on 70 extra members of staff to deal with the chaos. Ellie Kormis, from Surrey, spent almost £2,000 rebooking the flights for her family holiday to Greece - only to be told her original flights hadn't been cancelled. She told the BBC: "You're left in a situation where you can't speak to anyone - and you fear you'll either lose your holiday or be left out of pocket." The chaos happened on Sunday, on the centenary of the business, and frustrated customers who visited the Twitter page of the company were greeted with a screen full of animated balloons. Travel expert Simon Calder said: "British Airways: on the airline's 100th birthday, thousands of prospective passengers are stressed, upset and out-of-pocket as a result of BA's botched communication about the impending pilots' strike." Adam French, consumer rights expert at Which?, said the issue had caused "a lot of confusion and anxiety". "It is vital that the airline ensures that any customer who was initially informed that their flight was cancelled and has booked an alternative flight is not left out of pocket," he said. A British Airways spokesperson told The Telegraph that all those who had rebooked flights after the email error are eligible for a refund. She added that customers should keep all records and receipts handy for the refund process. BA has told passengers that they can request a full refund, rebook the flight for another time in the next 355 days, or use the value of the fare to fly to a different destination. Rival airline Virgin Atlantic attempted to get some business out of the chaos, and wrote on social media: "Has British Airways cancelled your flight on the 9, 10 or 27th September due to their pilot strike? We'd love to help keep your travel plans on track." The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) said on Friday the strikes were a "last resort" born out of "enormous frustration" with airline management. Balpa said more strike dates could yet be announced, adding that they were "a last resort and with enormous frustration at the way the business is now being run". Pilots have rejected a pay increase worth 11.5 per cent over three years, which the airline put forward in July.
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| You should change this one setting on your iPhone if you want to save data (AAPL) Posted: 24 Aug 2019 05:50 AM PDT  Your iPhone probably burns through data each month. Changing this one setting can help you keep it under control.
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| California parents charged with hate crime after allegedly assaulting boy found in daughter's closet Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:02 AM PDT  According to San Bruno Police the 15-year-old's biological dad Luisandor Suarez, her mom Haydee Arguello and step-dad Wilfredo Amaya physically abused a 17-year-old African American boy for 30 minutes and threaten to kill him with a deadly weapon after finding him in his daughter's closet.
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| S.Africa rare earths mine hopes for boost from US-China feud Posted: 24 Aug 2019 08:09 PM PDT  It's old, doesn't look like much and is located well out the way in an arid part of western South Africa. "Steenkampskraal will become a very important source of rare earths for the global industry," Trevor Blench, chairman of Steenkampskraal Holdings Limited, said during a recent tour. China produces the largest share of so-called "tech minerals", with a domestic output of 120,000 tonnes in 2018.
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