| Candidates propose expanding the 'war on terror' to counter the real threat: White supremacists Posted: 29 Aug 2019 02:00 AM PDT  Since the El Paso shooting, which was declared an act of "domestic terrorism" by the Justice Department, the FBI has thwarted seven mass shootings, including attacks planned by alleged white supremacists. But those arrested are unlikely to be designated as domestic terrorists or face any federal terrorism-related charges.
|
| Pence: 'The Bible stays' at veterans hospital facing lawsuit Posted: 30 Aug 2019 10:22 AM PDT  "We will always respect the freedom of religion of every veteran of every faith," Pence said in a speech addressing the American Legion National Convention in Indianapolis on Wednesday. The military religious freedom foundation that originally objected to the Bible called the president a "repulsive and repellent fundamentalist Christian" bully.
|
| The 10 Least Expensive New Mid-Size SUVs to Own Posted: 29 Aug 2019 09:02 AM PDT |
| ‘Frozen in time’: Eerie footage inside 170-year-old shipwreck from lost Arctic expedition Posted: 29 Aug 2019 06:56 AM PDT  Archaeologists have obtained unprecedented footage of an Arctic shipwreck "frozen in time" for more than a century and a half.Video from inside HMS Terror reveals china plates and bottles still stacked on shelves, eerily well-preserved officers' cabins and weapons still in their racks.
|
| Key Hong Kong Protest Organizer Attacked by Armed Masked Men Posted: 29 Aug 2019 04:39 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The leader of a Hong Kong group that has organized record-breaking mass marches over weeks of protests was attacked by two unidentified armed masked men, as the city braces for a 13th straight weekend of demonstrations.Civil Human Rights Front convener Jimmy Sham said the attack took place inside a restaurant in the Jordan area of Kowloon around midday local time Thursday. The men were wielding at least one baseball bat and one long knife, according to Sham. He was not hurt as his friend shielded him from the beatings, he said in a CHRF WhatsApp media group.Hong Kong police officials confirmed the attack on Sham at an afternoon news briefing. They said officers had arrived on scene shortly after and had tried "in vain" to locate any suspects, and that the case would be followed up by a criminal investigations team."This vile attack against Jimmy Sham appears to be a deliberate attempt to target a well-known pro-democracy activist," Amnesty International said in an e-mailed statement Thursday evening. "It is vital that the authorities send a clear message that those who target peaceful activists with such violence, irrespective of their political views, will face justice."Max Chung, the organizer of the Yuen Long march last month, separately said he was attacked by four men near the Tai Po police station Thursday. They wielded metal rods and umbrellas, he told reporters outside the hospital where he is receiving treatment.Chung suffered bruises on his arms, lower back and the back of his neck, as he said he was crouching and shielding his head with his arms when one of the men was beating him. Hong Kong police confirmed receipt of a report matching the incident Thursday.The Yuen Long march that Chung organized was in response to attacks on July 21st in which several dozen protesters and passersby were injured in attacks by white-shirted mobs. There have been sporadic reports of similar attacks on protesters in the weeks since.The CHRF's latest mass march, planned for Saturday, was banned by the city's police force on Thursday, with the group saying it planned to appeal. The ban could anger protesters ahead of a planned 13th straight week of pro-democracy demonstrations. Protests that began in early June over a bill that would allow extraditions to China have since become a wider call for more democracy, including calls for Chief Executive Carrie Lam's resignation."How would banning peaceful marches stop clashes? Carrie Lam is pushing Hong Kong to the point of destruction," Sham told reporters before the attack.(Adds quote from Amnesty International in fourth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Sheryl Tian Tong Lee in Hong Kong at slee1905@bloomberg.net;Natalie Lung in Hong Kong at flung6@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Fion Li at fli59@bloomberg.net, Karen Leigh, Ryan LovdahlFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Alabama Governor Apologizes for Blackface Skit, Refuses to Resign Posted: 30 Aug 2019 07:07 AM PDT  Alabama Governor Kay Ivey apologized Thursday for a blackface skit she participated in while a student at Auburn University during the 1960s."I offer my heartfelt apologies for the pain and embarrassment this causes, and I will do all I can — going forward — to help show the nation that the Alabama of today is a far cry from the Alabama of the 1960s," Ivey said in a statement. "We have come a long way, for sure, but we still have a long way to go."The Republican governor, 74, stopped short of capitulating to calls from Alabama Democrats to resign, however."While some may attempt to excuse this as acceptable behavior for a college student during the mid-1960s, that is not who I am today, and it is not what my Administration represents all these years later," Ivey insisted.The governor claimed she cannot recall either the skit or a 1967 interview on a campus radio program with her then-fiancé, who described how Ivey had "had put some black paint all over her face" for the bit. However, she acknowledged she had likely participated in such a skit and said she has "genuine remorse" now for her involvement.Democratic state representative Terri Sewell dismissed Ivey's apology as not reparation enough, saying the governor's actions are "reprehensible and are deeply offensive."Her words of apology ring hollow if not met with real action to bridge the racial divide," Sewell added.
|
| 155 migrants force entry into Spain's Ceuta enclave Posted: 30 Aug 2019 03:41 AM PDT  A group of 155 migrants forced their way into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Friday, Spanish authorities said. "They are all from sub-Saharan Africa, the majority from Guinea," a spokesman for the central government's office in Ceuta told AFP.
|
| Three 2020 Democrats quit the presidential race in one week, and Elizabeth Warren stands to gain the most from their exits Posted: 30 Aug 2019 01:18 PM PDT  Elizabeth Warren stands to gain big from the departures of Kirsten Gillibrand, Jay Inslee, and Seth Moulton from the 2020 Democratic race.
|
| The Latest: Dorian strengthens to Category 2 storm Posted: 29 Aug 2019 08:17 PM PDT  Hurricane Dorian is now a Category 2 hurricane and is expected to continue strengthening over the weekend as it advances toward Florida. The National Hurricane Center says in an 11 p.m. Thursday forecast that the storm has maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (169 kph), meaning it is just short of being a Category 3 major storm. Forecasters expect Dorian to become a major hurricane Friday and make landfall on Florida's east coast on Monday night.
|
| Woman cleared of murder charges after 35 years in prison gets $3 million Posted: 29 Aug 2019 01:19 PM PDT  A woman who spent 35 years in prison for a Nevada murder she didn't commit before she was exonerated by DNA evidence will get $3 million in a partial settlement of a federal civil rights lawsuit, her attorney said Wednesday.
|
| Russia strips Azeri blogger of citizenship and moves to deport him Posted: 30 Aug 2019 07:59 AM PDT ![Russia strips Azeri blogger of citizenship and moves to deport him]( "Russia strips Azeri blogger of citizenship and moves to deport him") Russia has ordered an immigrant blogger critical of the authorities in his native Azerbaijan to be deported there after revoking his Russian citizenship, his family said. Elvin Isaev, 39, who has held Russian citizenship for almost two decades, has run a video blog about politics in Azerbaijan from St Petersburg where he has lived with his Russian-born wife.
|
| Veterans condemn new citizenship policy for kids of overseas U.S. service members Posted: 29 Aug 2019 03:04 PM PDT  A policy change announced by the Trump administration this week that would end automatic citizenship for the children of certain U.S. military personnel or government employees stationed abroad was denounced as "disgusting and disgraceful" by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.
|
| Wave of child sex abuse lawsuits threatens Boy Scouts Posted: 29 Aug 2019 10:16 PM PDT  The Boy Scouts of America is facing a threat from a growing wave of lawsuits over decades-old allegations of sexual abuse. The Scouts have been sued in multiple states in recent months by purported abuse victims, including plaintiffs taking advantage of new state laws or court decisions that are now allowing suits previously barred because of the age of the allegations. A lawyer representing 150 people who say they were abused as Boy Scouts is planning a suit in New Jersey when the state's new civil statute of limitations law takes effect Dec. 1.
|
| Buttigieg Denounces ‘Hypocrisy’ of Pence, Other Christian Politicians Posted: 30 Aug 2019 09:44 AM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg blasted Vice President Mike Pence and other Christian politicians this week for adopting what he charged were un-Christian political stances.Asked by Religion News whether he would call "sinful" those Christian politicians who supported the Trump administration's since-scrapped policy of separating families arrested after crossing the southern border illegally, Buttigieg declined to go that far."I'll be careful to use that word to kind of point out a speck in my brother's eye," the South Bend, Ind. mayor replied. "What I would say is that it's clear that some naked sins are being at best condoned by people who then summon religious arguments. That rings more and more hollow.""It's not just that we might have a different interpretation of faith, it's that these arguments no longer stack up even on their own merits, right?" the openly gay Buttigieg continued. "For example, Mike Pence's view of Christian sexuality is obviously a little different than mine. But even with his view, it makes no sense to condone this president and his behavior. So there's two layers to this. There's the fact that I subscribe to a vision of faith that leads me to a certain place politically. But it's also just seeing the hypocrisy among people who now endorse people and practices that are offensive, not only to my values, but to their own."Buttigieg made a similar accusation during the first Democratic presidential primary debate in June, calling out the "hypocrisy" of Christians who supported the family-separation policy."For a party that associates itself with Christianity to say that it is okay to suggest that God would smile on the division of families at the hands of federal agents, that God would condone putting children in cages, has lost all claim to ever use religious language again," he said.The Indiana mayor targeted Pence directly earlier this year as well, saying during an address to the LGBTQ Victory Fund's annual brunch that he wishes "the Mike Pences of the world would understand. . . . If you've got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator."Pence pushed back at the time, saying he takes issue with what he saw as Buttigieg's personal attacks."He said some things that are critical of my Christian faith and about me personally. And he knows better. He knows me," said Pence, who has long been an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage.
|
| Japan PM wraps up Africa meet with debt warning aimed at China Posted: 29 Aug 2019 11:25 PM PDT  Investors in Africa must beware of burdening countries with "excessive" debt, Japan's prime minister warned Friday, an apparent swipe at China whose Belt and Road policy has been accused of saddling poor nations with crippling debt. Speaking to reporters at the end of an African development conference outside Tokyo, Shinzo Abe emphasised that countries in the G20 group of top economies, including China, had committed to the concept of "debt sustainability". "In providing assistance to Africa, we have to take note of the debt burden of the recipient country and take care that the debt burden does not become excessive," Abe said when asked about China's influence in Africa.
|
| 'Storm Area 51' event forces second Nevada county to sign emergency declaration Posted: 30 Aug 2019 05:10 AM PDT  The "Storm Area 51" event has drawn more than 2 million RSVPs on Facebook. Officials in Nye County, Nevada, OK'd an emergency order in preparation.
|
| Israel Is Escalating Its Shadow War With Iran. Here's What to Know Posted: 29 Aug 2019 01:35 PM PDT  Israel-attributed attacks on targets in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq highlight the risks of a wider confrontation
|
| Why President Trump Cut a Methane Regulation That Even Big Oil Companies Wanted to Keep Posted: 29 Aug 2019 02:03 PM PDT  The decision to side with a group of smaller fossil fuel producers shows the influence these companies retain within the administration
|
| We need Unions for All. It's a bold agenda for helping everyone get ahead in our economy. Posted: 30 Aug 2019 02:00 AM PDT  We need serious plans to empower all workers to form unions, no matter what job they do. 'Unions for All' is our litmus test for 2020 candidates.
|
| Mexican president backs official accused of suspect real estate purchases Posted: 30 Aug 2019 02:00 PM PDT ![Mexican president backs official accused of suspect real estate purchases]( "Mexican president backs official accused of suspect real estate purchases") Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday expressed support for Manuel Bartlett, the head of national electricity company CFE, despite accusations that Bartlett has improperly accumulated nearly two dozen luxury properties. "I have confidence in Mr. Bartlett," Lopez Obrador told reporters at his morning news conference. The president tapped Bartlett, a veteran politician with a controversial past, to lead Mexico's state-owned power utility.
|
| End of the Road Draws Near for Democrats Shut Out of Next Debate Posted: 30 Aug 2019 01:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Many of the 10 candidates who didn't make the cut for the third Democratic presidential debate, now face a big decision -- drop out or keep running at the end of the pack.Losing a spot on the stage means more than just being deprived of a powerful platform. It's a signal to donors, supporters and primary-state voters that an already-struggling candidate has failed to break out. So what's that candidate to do?"Drop out," said Rebecca Katz, a Democratic strategist and founder of New Deal Strategies. "These candidates have had months, and in many cases two separate debates, to make their case to the American people."On Thursday the Democratic National Committee announced that Tom Steyer, Michael Bennet, Tulsi Gabbard, Marianne Williamson, Steve Bullock, Bill de Blasio, Tim Ryan, John Delaney and Joe Sestak will have to sit out of the Sept. 12 debate in Houston.The culling is no accident: The DNC set more stringent criteria for the September debate in hopes of winnowing an unprecedented field of more than 20 candidates. To make the stage this time candidates needed to attain 130,000 individual donors and register 2% support in four DNC-approved polls. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York dropped out hours before the qualification deadline on Wednesday, when it became clear she wouldn't meet either threshold.Three other candidates left the race in recent weeks -- John Hickenlooper, Jay Inslee and Seth Moulton. Hickenlooper has since launched a bid for Colorado's U.S. Senate seat and Inslee has said he will run for a third term as governor of Washington state.DNC Chairman Tom Perez dismissed candidates' complaints that the polling and fundraising requirements were unfair. He said the DNC helped candidates clear the bar by working with TV networks to offer "an unprecedented amount of free earned media" through hour-long town halls."With all due respect, the notion that we created burdens for candidates –- no, we gave opportunities to candidates and we will continue to give opportunities to candidates," he told Bloomberg. "Then it's up to them to take advantage to those opportunities."The end of a campaign doesn't mean the candidate won't serve in the next administration. Those who do not become the eventual party nominee often go on to Cabinet positions or other executive-appointed roles. After the 2016 election, for example, Donald Trump picked former rivals Ben Carson and Rick Perry to serve as as secretaries of housing and energy. They might also become the nominee's running mate.Democratic strategists like Lynda Tran, a partner at 270 Strategies, expects to see more drop out."If they don't end up in the debate stage, they know I think in their heart of hearts that that is not a good sign of their campaign," Tran said. "At some point people will start paying attention primarily to the front-runners."And voters should question the motivation of some candidates for sticking around after they didn't make the grade, Katz said."Why are the candidates who can't get more than 2% staying in the race? Is it about issues or is it about ego?"One candidate is pledging to stay on. Steve Bullock, the Montana governor, is a Democrat running a state Trump won in 2016."There are over 150 days before voters express their preference in Iowa and New Hampshire. It's those voters in early states and across the country who will decide this election," he said.If the September debate isn't the campaign-ending breaking point for candidates, Tran predicts the fourth one in October will be. Many of the lower-polling candidates like Gabbard, and even those who made the cut like Beto O'Rourke, have begun to dance around the growing possibility that they won't be the nominee.On stage in Houston will be Joe Biden, along with Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar. They will be joined by Pete Buttigieg, Andrew Yang, O'Rourke and Julián Castro.\--With assistance from Jennifer Epstein.To contact the reporter on this story: Emma Kinery in Washington at ekinery@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Max BerleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| El Salvador busts alleged migrant smuggling network, nabs 25 Posted: 29 Aug 2019 12:10 PM PDT  At least 25 people were arrested across El Salvador on Thursday, including businesspeople, lawyers and a former police officer, as part of an operation to break up an alleged migrant smuggling network. Authorities said they conducted raids in a number of municipalities and seized 23 vehicles and 14 properties with a collective value of about $1 million. The director of the attorney general's office anticorruption unit said 32 arrest warrants were issued.
|
| Six countries block UN sanctions against Somalia's Al-Shabaab Posted: 29 Aug 2019 06:17 PM PDT  Six UN Security Council members on Wednesday blocked a move to include Somali jihadist group Al-Shabaab on a list of organizations such as Al-Qaeda that are under international sanctions, diplomatic sources said. Several NGOs and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recently stepped in to oppose the classification, which would have effectively kept humanitarian aid away from millions of Somalis living in Al-Shabaab-controlled areas. Germany, Belgium, Poland, France, Kuwait and the United States were the six countries whose votes blocked the implementation of the new sanctions.
|
| Wreck of paddle steamer throws light on British support for Confederacy slave states during US Civil War Posted: 29 Aug 2019 10:00 PM PDT  Britain has long been proud of its historically progressive attitude to slavery, frequently pointing to the fact that this country abolished the trade across its territories as early as 1833. But beneath the waters of Liverpool Bay lies something that should dent our complacency about this country's role in the ending of human bondage. The wreck of the paddle steamer Leila, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1865, sheds new light on the actions of some British businessmen in supporting the southern slave states of the Confederacy during the US Civil War. Now the wreck - described by historians as "one of the most historically-significant in the north west" - is to be granted protected status on the advice of Historic England. The 19th century paddle steamer was on its maiden voyage from Liverpool to Bermuda loaded with guns and supplies for Confederate forces when it foundered on 14th January 1865 during stormy weather in Liverpool Bay, with the loss of 47 lives. The wreck on the Leila on the seabed in Liverpool Bay Credit: Historic England Leila was secretly built in Liverpool on behalf of the Confederate Government late in the American Civil War of 1861 to 1865 as a purpose-built vessel to run the blockade imposed on the southern states by the Union forces of Abraham Lincoln. She was technically advanced for her day and was designed to evade the northern Union ships enforcing the blockade. Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: "The Lelia is one of a small group of British ships involved in British complicity in running guns and munitions to the Confederates. "Though the UK remained officially neutral throughout the American Civil War, the Leila comprises evidence of the British financing of blockade runners that sent munitions and luxuries to Confederate ports in return for cotton and tobacco. As such it is very significant as historical evidence." Although the British Government's position on the blockade was officially neutral, opinion in Britain over the issue of the Civil War was split. Many Lancashire cotton workers supported the blockade and the Union's fight against the slave states, even though it resulted in a downturn in the weaving industry and severe hardship for their families. Such was their support for the abolitionist cause that a statue of Lincoln was erected in their honour in 1919, with a plaque reproducing his letter of 19th January 1863 to the Manchester cotton workers thanking them for their support. Statue of Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln Square, Manchester, inscribed with his letter of thanks to the city's cotton weavers Credit: Phil Portus / Alamy Stock Photo But there were those in Britain willing to take advantage of the war and help supply the slave states with goods and materials. At the start of the Civil War, the Confederacy lacked the manufacturing capacity to compete with the more industrialised northern states and so relied on importing war supplies, including guns and ammunition, to sustain its war effort. It acquired fast steamships, mainly paddle steamers, from British and other shipbuilders, intended to breach the naval blockade of its main ports imposed by the Union in 1861 in an attempt to strangle the southern war effort. They hoped a combination of speed and stealth would help them to break the blockade, enabling them to carry cotton and tobacco to Europe and war supplies back to the Confederacy. The Lelia was built in Millers shipyard in Toxteth, Liverpool, where shipbuilders had been experimenting with the early use of steel, which, being lighter than iron, allowed for larger cargo space and greater speed - perfect for blockade runners. The paddle steamer was only identified in 1997 after a bell marked 'Lelia 1864' was recovered from close to the wreck beneath Liverpool Bay by a local diver. An infra-red photograph of the wreck of the Leila Credit: Historic England The partially-buried remains of the Leila include one of the paddle wheels, the engine and boiler rooms, less well-preserved cargo areas and a steam winch. The deck and all structures that were on it have not survived, but as much as 1.9m of its hull remains buried in the seabed, raising the prospect that its cargo of British-manufactured munitions and machinery may have been partially preserved . The Leila is one of three blockade busters to have been discovered in British waters. The other is the paddle steamer Iona II, which sank in 1864 in foggy conditions close to the Isle of Lundy in the Bristol Channel on her first trans-Atlantic voyage. The Iona II's sister ship Iona I, also a paddle steamer believed to be involved in gun-running, was lost in 1862 in the inner Clyde Estuary, near Greenock, in Scotland. Rebecca Pow, Heritage Minister at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: "Protecting sites like the wreck of the Lelia helps us to preserve an important story about Britain's role in the American Civil War. "Although the conflict happened over a hundred years ago, it is right that we ensure the protection of this site so we can learn more about one of the most significant shipwrecks off the coast of North West England and broaden our knowledge about our nation's seafaring history." A print depicting the upsetting of the Liverpool lifeboat during its ill fated attempt to rescue the crew of the Leila Credit: Historic England
|
| Israel's Anti-Drone Industry Takes Off Posted: 30 Aug 2019 08:37 AM PDT ![Israel's Anti-Drone Industry Takes Off]( "Israel's Anti-Drone Industry Takes Off") In late August, Israeli military officials claimed responsibility for airstrikes in Syria targeting Iranian-made "killer drones" intended to attack Israel. While the Aug. 24 incident sparked worries of escalation in this tense region, many are questioning how Israel -- or any other country -- would or could detect and defend itself against a fleet of explosive-laden drones. Some question how it's possible to differentiate between civilian drones that could be used for terrorism or espionage and those that are simply doing things like making food deliveries.
|
| Omar tweets she received death threat targeting her at the Minnesota State Fair Posted: 29 Aug 2019 06:19 AM PDT  "I hate that we live in a world where you have to be protected from fellow humans," said Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota.
|
| Man charged after making gun gesture with finger has appeal rejected Posted: 30 Aug 2019 09:03 AM PDT  On a warm day in June 2018, Stephen Kirchner was walking with a fellow neighbour when they came up on Josh Klingseisen's yard.They were not friendly with Mr Klingseisen. In fact, the woman walking with Kirchner, Elaine Natore, had a "no contact" order against Mr Klingseisen, who happened to be outside mulching in his yard in Manor Township, Pennsylvania, as the two neighbours passed. Kirchner stopped, and the two men made eye contact.
|
| Fox News Host Jeanine Pirro believes Democrats plotting to ‘replace American citizens with illegals’ Posted: 29 Aug 2019 05:48 PM PDT  Appearing on Fox Nation's The Todd Starnes Show on Thursday, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro was asked by Starnes if Democrats and liberals hate President Trump and his supporters.
|
| U.S. service member killed in combat in Afghanistan Posted: 30 Aug 2019 09:30 AM PDT ![U.S. service member killed in combat in Afghanistan]( "U.S. service member killed in combat in Afghanistan") A U.S. service member was killed in Afghanistan during combat operations, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement on Friday, as the United States seeks to reach a negotiated end to the nearly 18-year-old war. It said the service member died during operations on Thursday and withheld the name until next of kin were informed and did not provide details of how the death occurred. The latest death brings the number of American troops killed in Afghanistan this year to 15.
|
| The Latest: Dorian strengthens as it eyes Southeast US Posted: 28 Aug 2019 08:26 PM PDT  Hurricane Dorian is strengthening as it moves toward the U.S. Southeast coast. The National Hurricane Center said Thursday evening that Dorian should move over the Atlantic well east of the southeastern and central Bahamas on Thursday and Friday. The Miami-based hurricane center says the storm could grow into a dangerous Category 3 storm by Labor Day as it pushes northwest in the general direction of Florida.
|
| Kashmiris say Indian officers tortured them and shoved mud in their mouths so they couldn't scream. The army denies it ever happened. Posted: 30 Aug 2019 04:18 AM PDT  A new BBC report details gruesome allegations from civilians living in Kashmiri villages known to be hubs of anti-India militant groups.
|
| China expels WSJ reporter who wrote about Xi's cousin Posted: 30 Aug 2019 06:09 AM PDT  Beijing said journalists who attack China were "not welcome" in the country, after it failed to renew the press credentials of a foreign journalist who wrote an article about one of President Xi Jinping's cousins. It amounts to the effective expulsion of Chun Han Wong, a Singaporean national who has worked for the Wall Street Journal's Beijing bureau since 2014. In a statement to AFP, the foreign ministry said it "strongly opposed some foreign reporters' malicious smears and attacks on China, and these kinds of journalists are not welcome".
|
| The Invasion of Poland Wasn't Hitler's First Aggression. Here's Why That Move Marked the Beginning of WWII Posted: 30 Aug 2019 09:00 AM PDT  Roughly 1.5 million German soldiers, 2,000 airplanes and 2,500 tanks crossed the Polish border on Sept. 1, 1939
|
| 10 Hacks Every Grill-Meister Should Master Posted: 29 Aug 2019 09:02 AM PDT |
| Air Force and DARPA testing new hypersonic weapons prototypes Posted: 29 Aug 2019 03:59 PM PDT  The Pentagon and industry developers are now testing a new series of hypersonic weapons prototypes. Hypersonic weapons are engineered as 'kinetic energy' strike weapons, meaning they will not use explosives but rely instead upon sheer speed and the force of impact to destroy targets.
|
| UN warns ceasefire violations could spark Lebanon-Israel war Posted: 29 Aug 2019 06:20 PM PDT  The council warning came in a French-sponsored resolution adopted unanimously that extends the mandate of the 10,500-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, until Aug. 31, 2020. UNIFIL was originally created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops after a 1978 invasion of Lebanon.
|
| Iran goes further in breaching nuclear deal, IAEA report shows Posted: 30 Aug 2019 08:01 AM PDT  Iran has gone further in breaching its nuclear deal with world powers, increasing its stock of enriched uranium and refining it to a greater purity than allowed, the U.N. atomic agency report said on Friday. The quarterly report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is policing the 2015 deal, confirms Iran is progressively backing out of the deal in retaliation for Washington's withdrawal form the accord and renewal of sanctions that have hit Iranian oil sales. Iran has said it will breach the deal's limits on its nuclear activities one by one, ratcheting up pressure on parties who still hope to save it.
|
| China appears to have blocked Hong Kong's attempt to make peace with its protest movement by scrapping its incendiary extradition bill Posted: 30 Aug 2019 02:54 AM PDT  Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam reportedly told Beijing that giving in to protester's five demands may ease tensions. China outright refused.
|
| Worsening fuel shortage in impoverished Haiti Posted: 29 Aug 2019 06:43 PM PDT  Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Haiti's long-suffering population has faced an extra burden for more than a week: closed service stations and lines of motorists hoping to buy even a few drops of petrol during a fuel shortage that's getting worse. Haiti is one of the world's poorest countries which has faced months of political turmoil. "I have been in this never-ending line for hours," a driver of one of Port-au-Prince's ubiquitous motorbike taxis complained.
|
| Oregon earthquake: 6.3 magnitude quake strikes by US coast Posted: 29 Aug 2019 03:28 AM PDT  The United States Geological Survey says a 6.3 magnitude earthquake has struck roughly 170 miles off the coast of Oregon, in the western United States.The earthquake was detected south of Portland, in an area that has a relatively small population.
|
| Report: El Paso shooter bought weapon from Romania, ammo from Russia Posted: 29 Aug 2019 09:25 AM PDT  The gunman accused of killing 22 people at an El Paso Walmart has told law enforcement that he bought his weapon online from Romania, report says.
|
| A boat was up close and personal with Italy's Stromboli volcano and just barely got away as it began to erupt Posted: 29 Aug 2019 08:14 AM PDT  Italy's Stromboli volcano erupted off the coast of Sicily. And one boat off the coast got a little close to the scene just as the eruption started.
|
| Girls schools could admit trans boys under proposals being considered by equalities watchdog Posted: 30 Aug 2019 03:01 AM PDT  Girls schools would have to admit transgender pupils under proposals being considered by the equalities watchdog. The confidential Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) draft guidance, leaked to The Telegraph, reveals that schools could be set to consider admissions of trans students to single-sex schools on a "case-by-case approach". Schools were supposed to be issued with the first official national guidelines on transgender children in March 2018. The change to guidelines were set to tackle issues such as what pronouns teachers should use for trans pupils, as well as guidance on changing rooms, uniforms and bullying. However, following repeated delays, it has never been published. The EHRC claims to have sought views from teachers, education experts, women's groups and trans groups and it is understood that this is the cause of the delay. It is unclear at what stage this guidance was drafted. However The Telegraph can now reveal details of the draft guidance - entitled Trans pupils: guidance for schools in Scotland on the Equality Act 2010 - Confidential DRAFT - which has never before been made public. Gender-neutral terms | Checklist It says that: "A refusal to admit a trans pupil to a single-sex school which is the same as the trans pupil's sex recorded at birth would be direct sex discrimination. Admitting such a pupil will not affect the school's single-sex status. "A pupil who has transitioned, or wants to, must be allowed to continue to attend the school; to remove them would amount to direct gender reassignment discrimination." The document also says: "An admission policy of only admitting pupils in accordance with their sex recorded at birth would particularly disadvantage trans pupils, and would be indirectly discriminatory against trans pupils, unless it could be demonstrated to be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim." The guidance also urges schools to install gender-neutral toilets, changing and shower rooms wherever possible, a contentious area among feminists who say female-only spaces should be protected. The document says if not, "trans boys and trans girls can use the single-sex facilities that align with their gender identity if they wish to do so." On the controversial area of sex categories in sports, the leaked EHRC document encourages schools to "consider ways of enabling all pupils to participate in sports, including competitive events that align with their gender identity." The leaked document has prompted controversy among the feminist academic and women's rights campaigners, with critics claiming that it will have controversial implications for single-sex schools and "shows what a mess we create when we conflate sex and gender". UK trends in children's happiness with different aspects of life Meanwhile trans rights and childrens charities say it is paramount that transgender children can " live their life freely" and that all schools take steps to create "inclusive environments" for vulnerable students. The EHRC, which acts as the nation's human rights watchdog, said that the leaked guidance was only a draft and that finalised guidance to help schools understand their obligations under the Equalities Act 2010 would be shared with schools across England, Scotland and Wales "in due course". Kiri Tunks, co-founder of Woman's Place UK, a women's campaign group, said: "This guidance shows what a mess we create when we conflate sex and gender. The EHRC seems very confused about the difference and this advice will just muddy the waters further. "The EHRC is right that publicly funded schools are obliged by the Public Sector Equality Duty to foster good relations between protected characteristics but they also have a responsibility to assess the impact of any changes they make which could affect other protected groups. We are losing confidence in the EHRC's ability to issue robust, practical advice on this question." Kathleen Stock, professor of philosophy at the University of Sussex, said that educational guidance should not be based on a "usually transitory feeling". She said: "We have to remember that literally the only criterion of telling who is a trans child and who isn't is that they say so. It's based on a feeling. "Moreover it's a feeling that we know most will grow out of. Assuming that there are good reasons to retain single sex provision in certain schools, it's incomprehensible that these reasons should be overidden in favour of a usually transitory feeling." However, Mermaids, the charity which supports transgender youth in the UK, said it was important that transgender children's rights "to live their life freely" is respected and supported. A spokesman for the charity said: "We haven't played any part in forming the Scottish Guidance, so we're unable to comment on the contents of this document. We're sorry to see it's been leaked because organisations have been working on this guidance for several years and we would be disappointed to see any further delay to its publishing. "As ever, we believe in every transgender child's right to live their life freely and with support and understanding." British Medical Association | Gender guidance According to the latest research by Stonewall, the LGBT charity, almost half of all LGBT pupils still face bullying at school, and more than two in five trans young people have tried to take their own life Their report, entitled School report 2017, surveyed more than 3,700 LGBT pupils in British schools and was carried out in conjunction with the University of Cambridge's Centre for Family Research. A spokeswoman for the charity said: "Trans young people need supportive environments now more than ever, as we know from our research that nearly two-thirds of trans pupils (64 per cent) have experienced bullying. It's vital all schools take active steps to create inclusive environments for trans pupils, or those who may be questioning their gender." An EHRC spokeswoman said: "This document is a draft. We have been speaking to teachers and education experts, women's groups and trans groups for their views. This will be an important document for schools to help them support all children and meet their legal duties under the equality act."
|
