| Flights cancelled after Hong Kong protesters target airport Posted: 31 Aug 2019 05:02 PM PDT  More than a dozen flights were cancelled Sunday as thousands of pro-democracy activists blocked routes to Hong Kong's airport, a day after protesters and police fought pitched battles in some of the worst violence seen in the city since unrest began three months ago. At least 16 flights were cancelled, the airport's website said, with the departure hall packed with a backlog of passengers who had struggled to make it to the terminals. Earlier, operators of the Airport Express train suspended services after the station was besieged, while black-clad protesters -- hiding from CCTV cameras under umbrellas -- built barricades at the bus terminus and attempted to stop traffic on the main road leading to the facility.
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| We Need to Talk about Joe Biden Posted: 01 Sep 2019 03:30 AM PDT  There are two possible explanations of Joe Biden's inability to tell the truth about things: One is that his mind is failing him, the other is that his honor is. In neither case is Biden fit to hold the office of president of the United States of America, and Democrats would discredit themselves and endanger the nation to nominate him.Yes, yes, go ahead — "But, Trump!" etc. — and continue when you've completed the ritual of equivocation, and don't think too hard about how far and in what direction that line of moral self-justification has carried the Republican party.Joe Biden is a plagiarist and a liar, among other things. In the most recent example, detailed by the Washington Post, Biden made up a story in which he as vice president displayed personal courage and heroism in traveling to a dangerous war zone in order to recognize the service of an American soldier who had distinguished himself in a particularly dramatic way. It was a moving story. "This is the God's truth," he concluded. "My word as a Biden."But his word as a Biden isn't worth squat, as the Post showed, reporting that "Biden got the time period, the location, the heroic act, the type of medal, the military branch and the rank of the recipient wrong, as well as his own role in the ceremony." Which is a nice way of saying: Biden lied about an act of military heroism in order to aggrandize his own role in the story.Like Hillary Rodham Clinton under fictitious sniper fire, Biden highlighted his own supposed courage in the face of physical danger: "We can lose a vice president. We can't lose many more of these kids."If Biden here is lying with malice aforethought, then he ought to be considered morally disqualified for the office. If he is senescent, then he obviously is unable to perform the duties associated with the presidency, and asking him to do so would be indecent, dangerous, and unpatriotic.The evidence points more toward moral disability than mental disability, inasmuch as Biden has a long career of lying about precisely this sort of thing.The most dramatic instance of that is Biden's continued insistence on lying about the circumstances surrounding the horrifying deaths of his wife and daughter in a terrible car accident. It is not the case, as Biden has said on many occasions, that they were killed by a drunk driver, an irresponsible trucker who "drank his lunch," as Biden put it. That is a pure fabrication, and a slander on the man who was behind the wheel of that truck and who was haunted by the episode until the end of his days. Imagine yourself in the position of that man's family, whose natural sympathy for Biden's loss must be complicated by outrage at his persistent lying about the relevant events.Why would Biden lie about the death of his wife and daughter? Why would he lie about the already-heroic efforts of American soldiers? In both cases, to make the story more dramatic, to give himself a bigger and more impressive narrative arc. That he would subordinate other people — real people, living and dead — to his own political ambition in such a callous and demeaning way counsels strongly against entrusting him with any more political power than that which he already has wielded.Biden lies about matters great and small. He lies about his trip to Afghanistan. He lies about the death of his wife and daughter. He is wildly dishonest about his role in the Iraq War and the 1994 crime bill, landmark moments in his legislative career that later became political liabilities. And whatever the state of his brain today, he was not senile back in 1987, when he plagiarized the words of Margaret Thatcher and Neil Kinnock for his own speeches. Like his lies, his plagiarism is part of a lifelong habit: As recently as this year, he was filling out his policy papers with uncredited — stolen — material from advocacy groups.The United States has become an empire of lies. We are governed by liars chosen on the basis of lies, and the worst partisans have begun openly to admire the lies, so long as they are skillfully constructed and delivered. The lowest among us enjoy being lied to and celebrate it. Entire political careers are based on lies — and policy initiatives, too.But if not the serial liar Joe Biden, then whom will the Democrats choose? Elizabeth Warren, who has misrepresented her supposed Native American ancestry? Kamala Harris, who has lied about murder in order to serve her own political ends? Robert Francis O'Rourke, who cannot tell the truth for five minutes about basic and fundamental questions of public policy?The Democrats are ready to go into November with nothing better to say for themselves than, "Our liar is better than their liar!" It is doubtful they will even be morally conflicted about that. But the nation will be worse off for it, inasmuch as democratic assumptions built on a foundation of lies must necessarily be unstable.Joe Biden has exhausted whatever presumption of goodwill or benefit of the doubt we might have extended to him for the past 46 years. He has had his chance to show that he is a man capable of honor, integrity, and honesty — and he has failed that test at every turn. If there ever was a time for him, that time has passed. The last thing this country needs is another pathological liar in its highest office. He is unfit for the presidency in every way, and Democrats owe the country better than to nominate him in the pursuit of their own selfish partisan interests.
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| Texas shooter who killed 7 in Odessa identified Posted: 01 Sep 2019 04:58 PM PDT  Police refused to release the gunman's identity in the shooting in Odessa and Midland, Texas, so as not to give him additional notoriety.
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| Florida warned against complacency as Hurricane Dorian switches course Posted: 31 Aug 2019 09:06 AM PDT  Florida residents were being warned not to be complacent on Saturday, after Hurricane Dorian appeared to change path and potentially avoid smashing into the state. The storm was strengthening on Saturday, with winds increasing from 140mph to 150mph in the Category Four storm. It had been predicted to make a direct hit on southern Florida on Sunday, in what some feared could be the strongest storm to hit the region in 30 years. On Friday night, however, the forecast changed to suggest it would skirt Florida and instead turn northwards, making landfall in South Carolina on Thursday. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, warned residents of his state on Saturday that they should still prepare for the worst. Here a look inside the clear eye of Dorian this morning from the @HRD_AOML_NOAA Hurricane Hunter P-3 Aircraft. Picture credit Paul Chang pic.twitter.com/Yyi8OBRcBf— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 31, 2019 "Looking at these forecasts, a bump in one direction or the other could have really significant ramifications in terms of impact," he said. "If it bumps further east, that obviously is positive. If it bumps just a little west, than you're looking at really, really significant impacts. "Don't make any assumptions, remain vigilant and be prepared." He added that even if Dorian does not make landfall in Florida, the state could still be affected by winds and storm surge as it heads north along the East Coast. Georgia Bernard, right, and Ana Perez are among residents filling sandbags to take home in preparation for Hurricane Dorian in Hallandale Beach "Understand, even if it doesn't directly strike Florida, this is a big, powerful storm. You're still looking at really significant storm surge on the east coast of Florida, you're looking at major flooding events in different parts of the state," he said. "You're still looking at significant impacts even if the storm remains hugging the coast." Ken Graham, the director of the NHC in Florida, said that it was "an incredibly dangerous situation for the Bahamas, with a major amount of rainfall and serious winds." He said the storm was likely to slow down, and pass over the Bahamas at two miles an hour, dumping a potential 20 inches of rain on the islands. "I can't stress this enough - this is a very dangerous situation for the Bahamas," he said. He said the rain could "wiggle back and forth", and echoed Mr DeSantis's warning against complacency in Florida. "There's still some uncertainty in the forecast," he said. "If you live in Florida, yes, you can look at it and see that we are getting further off the coast. And it seems like good news. But it's a 150mph hurricane, and some of Florida could get those rains." Residents and tourists in the Bahamas were scrambling to get to safety before the storm hit. Hubert Minnis, prime minister of the islands, urged residents to seek safety, warning it was a "very powerful and potentially life-threatening hurricane." The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Dorian is expected to be near or over the northwestern Bahamas on Sunday, and near the Florida east coast late on Monday. Empty shelves at a Walmart on Merritt Island, Florida Supermarkets in Florida ran out of bottled water, and long queues built up at petrol stations. Mr DeSantis ordered the highway patrol to begin escorting fuel trucks, to get them past the lines of waiting cars and replenish the petrol stations. Disney said it was waiting to see a more definite picture before deciding whether to shut its resorts, but Orlando airport announced it was closing on Monday evening. Nasa was also moving a large rocket from one of its launch pads, in preparation for the coming storm.
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| UPDATE 1-U.S. still strongly supports Ukraine's Crimea claim -Pence Posted: 01 Sep 2019 01:48 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-U.S. still strongly supports Ukraine's Crimea claim -Pence]( "UPDATE 1-U.S. still strongly supports Ukraine's Crimea claim -Pence") U.S. Vice President Mike Pence reassured Ukraine on Sunday that Washington continues to back its claim for Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, even as U.S. President Donald Trump mulls cutting aid to the European nation. Speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Warsaw, Pence did not address reports that Trump is considering cutting $250 million in military assistance to the country.
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| Watch a man brazenly light a cigarette at gunpoint during an armed robbery Posted: 31 Aug 2019 01:19 PM PDT  If you think you're cool under pressure, you've got absolutely nothing on a St. Louis man who -- in a scene that could have easily been part of a Tarantino movie -- calmly and brazenly lit a cigarette while the bar he was in was being robbed.Not only that, our fearless hero refused to let the robber snatch his smartphone away. All the while, the robber was carrying around an assault weapon that was later revealed to be a Hi-Point Carbine. If that sounds familiar, the Hi-Point Carbine was one of the weapons used during the 1999 Columbine school shooting.The robbery itself was captured on video and shows all the other bar patrons smartly take immediate cover. Our cigarette toting hero, meanwhile, doesn't seem to show the tiniest ounce of concern or fear.What's more, he doesn't even flinch when the robber went around the bar and briefly pointed his weapon in his direction. Indeed, in a bad-ass demonstration of resolve, it was at this moment that he lit a cigarette, with seemingly no regard for his own well-being or St. Louis' indoor smoking laws. Even when another bar patron has a gun shoved into his back, the anonymous smoker remains incredibly calm while continuing to smoke."He just was very adamant about it like, 'I'm not playing your game," bartender Dustin Krueger told KMOV4 News.The video was shared to Facebook by the bar owner and can be viewed below.https://www.facebook.com/jkimack/videos/10213714436204738/As to how it all played out, the robber managed to escape with a handful of wallets, some cash, and a few cell phones. His total haul was said to be a few hundred dollars. Notably, and thankfully, no one in the bar was injured during the ordeal. A witness to the robber relays that the perpetrator appeared to be on some type of drug.
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| Trial date set for men charged with 9/11 attacks Posted: 31 Aug 2019 08:53 AM PDT  Dr. James Mitchell personally interrogated the men charged with plotting the 9/11 attacks. He says Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would kill almost 3,000 people all over again if given the chance.
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| US blacklists Iranian tanker in Mediterranean Posted: 31 Aug 2019 01:11 AM PDT  The United States has blacklisted the Iranian tanker Adrian Darya, saying it had "reliable information" it was transporting oil to Syria in defiance of wide-ranging sanctions on the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Previously known as Grace 1, the vessel was seized in July by British Royal Marines and held in Gibraltar for six weeks on suspicion it was delivering oil for Tehran's ally Damascus. The British territory released the ship -- despite US protests -- after it said it had received written assurances from Iran that the vessel would not head for countries under European Union sanctions.
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| Statue honors Dane credited as Nanjing Massacre lifesaver Posted: 31 Aug 2019 08:20 AM PDT ![Statue honors Dane credited as Nanjing Massacre lifesaver]( "Statue honors Dane credited as Nanjing Massacre lifesaver") A statue of a Danish citizen who is credited with saving thousands of people in China during the Japanese invasion that led to the Nanjing Massacre was unveiled by Denmark's queen on Saturday. Queen Margrethe II revealed the three-meter (10-foot) bronze statue of Bernhard Arp Sindberg at a park in Aarhus, the city where he was born in 1911. Designed by Chinese and Danish artists, the statue was a gift from the city of Nanjing, which was the capital at the time of the massacre in December 1937 and January 1938.
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| Beto O’Rourke says AK-47 and AR-15 owners will ‘have to sell them to the government’ if he becomes president Posted: 01 Sep 2019 05:58 AM PDT  Beto O'Rourke said he would implement a sweeping government buy-back policy for two types of assault rifles, including one commonly used in mass shootings across the US, if he were elected president in 2020.The Texas Democrat responded to questions on the campaign trail Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, about concerns the government would take assault weapons away from gun owners.
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| 9 Arizona State students from China detained at LA airport, denied admission to U.S. Posted: 31 Aug 2019 07:50 AM PDT  The students were "denied admission to the U.S. to continue their studies" and were sent back to China, ASU said.
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| Seth Ator Identified as Odessa Gunman Posted: 01 Sep 2019 02:43 PM PDT  Texas Department of Public SafetyODESSA, Texas—The gunman who killed seven people and injured roughly 20 others during a 20-mile trail of carnage across West Texas was identified by law enforcement on Sunday as 36-year-old Seth Aaron Ator. Odessa Police refused to publicly identify Ator during a press conference on Sunday, stating that they were not going to give the gunman any notoriety for "what he did." Police Chief Michael Gerke said the gunman's name would be officially provided, just not in a public forum. The department instead chose to simply release his name and age, and confirm that he was an Odessa resident, in an update on the police department's Facebook page later in the afternoon.Authorities were working to determine a motive for the Saturday shooting that took place in broad daylight and resulted in more than a dozen crime scenes across a stretch from Odessa to Midland. It claimed the lives of a high-school student and a U.S. Postal Service employee, among others.Odessa officials said Ator used an assault rifle-type weapon, but said how the gun was obtained is still under investigation. Police said that there is "no definite motive known," and the FBI said that a preliminary investigation determined that the shooting is not connected to domestic or international terrorism. The FBI said during the press conference that they were executing a federal search warrant at a home linked to the gunman. Agents were later seen searching Ator's house, located about 20 minutes west of Odessa. The home, set half a mile back from the main road, more closely resembles a shack, with what appears to be a makeshift tower placed on top. The area is surrounded by oil wells that easily outnumber the nearby trailers. Justin Hamel/For The Daily BeastAtor's name was reported earlier in the day by several news outlets and initially confirmed to The Daily Beast by two law enforcement officials who shared the name on the condition of anonymity.Ator, who has a previous criminal record for trespassing and resisting arrest, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety records obtained by The Daily Beast, was killed in a shoot-out with police.Ator was pulled over by Odessa police shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday when he opened fire through the back window of his vehicle, before going on a shooting spree that spanned from Odessa to Midland—at one point, he hijacked a U.S. Postal Service van—and ended with him being killed during a gun battle with police in a movie theater parking lot. Odessa Victims Include Cops, a Baby, a High Schooler and a Postal CarrierHis victims ranged in age from 15 to 57 years old.This most recent shooting marks the third mass shooting in Texas in the past year, including the shooting in El Paso, Texas, that killed 22 people less than a month ago. "I have been to too many of these events," Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) said at the press conference."Words alone are inadequate. Words must be met with action," Abbott said. "We must broaden our efforts to address (Odessa) and we must do so quickly. We need solutions that will keep guns out of the hands of criminals like the killer in Odessa while also ensuring that we safeguard rights."Reporters pressed the governor for answers on what is being done to address the state's repeated mass shootings, especially in light of a series of new firearm laws loosening gun restrictions in Texas that were enacted mere hours after the Odessa rampage. In response, Abbott said: "Some of these laws were enacted for the purpose of making our community safer," making reference to a new law that will allows more school marshals to be armed.Reporters then asked Abbott if there are plans to ban assault rifles, like the one used by Ator in Odessa. In response, Abbott said it's the "kind of thing legislators are already talking about," and added that assault rifles weren't used in all of the state's mass shootings. "We're gonna look at every issue. There's no issue that we will not look at," he said.A reporter then pressed the governor further on the assault rifle ban, noting that law enforcement officers are better equipped to go up against someone with a handgun than an assault rifle. To which Abbott replied: "And the people we also talk to are law enforcement officers."'We Got One in a Ditch': Inside the Odessa Shooting RampageMichael Daly contributed to this story.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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| Hurricane Dorian: ‘Huge damage' in Bahamas as storm becomes joint strongest ever with 220mph gusts Posted: 01 Sep 2019 12:59 PM PDT  Hurricane Dorian has caused major damage in the Bahamas – destroying homes and ripping roofs from buildings – as it made landfall as the joint-strongest ever Atlantic storm. There were no immediate reports of deaths.Residents in places such as the Abaco Islands and Marsh Harbour took shelter in schools and churches when Dorian made landfall as a category 5 storm with gusts of up to 220mph and a sustained speed of 185mph. When it struck land twice on Sunday afternoon – first in the Abaco Islands at then close to Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island – it equalled a record set by a Labour Day storm from 1935. That storm, which occurred before hurricanes were given names, ultimately left major damage in its wake in the Florida Keys.
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| Here are the Apple products affected by Trump's latest move in the trade war with China (AAPL) Posted: 01 Sep 2019 09:33 AM PDT  Trump's tariff on Chinese imports goes into effect on September 1, impacting Apple products like AirPods and the Apple Watch.
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| One dead, eight injured in French knife rampage Posted: 31 Aug 2019 01:31 PM PDT  A police source said the alleged perpetrator was an Afghan asylum-seeker, unknown previously to both the police and the intelligence services. An eye-witness in Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, described the attack as frenzied. Of the eight people wounded in the attack, three were in a critical condition, said the prosecutor's office.
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| Will It Grill? Posted: 31 Aug 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| Destination remains obscure for Iran oil tanker sought by US Posted: 30 Aug 2019 10:23 PM PDT  An Iranian oil tanker pursued by the U.S. on Friday again listed its destination as Turkey but the Turkish foreign minister added to the confusion by saying the vessel is headed to Lebanon — statements that were promptly denied in Beirut as America's top diplomat alleged it still would head to Syria. The flurry of contradictory statements further muddies the waters for the Adrian Darya 1, formerly known as the Grace 1, and obscures where its 2.1 million barrels of oil will ultimately go.
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| Travelers Left Stranded After Airport Protest: Hong Kong Update Posted: 01 Sep 2019 04:15 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Travelers were left stranded at Hong Kong's international airport after protesters disrupted transport to and from the facility, blocked roads and vandalized train stations.Queues of people sat on their suitcases in the airport terminal building and others walked down the highway pushing luggage, with no buses or taxis to be seen. Riot police dispersed the crowds of protesters, some of whom had earlier damaged offices and equipment at train stations on the airport route.The demonstration followed a night of violence in the city after tens of thousands joined an unauthorized march, which led to running battles with police who fired warning gunshots, tear gas and water cannons. The protests began in June over a bill allowing extraditions to mainland China before morphing into a wider push against Beijing's grip on the city.Embattled leader Carrie Lam last week called for talks with the opposition while refusing to rule out invoking a sweeping colonial-era law that allows for easier arrests, deportations, censorship and property seizures. The unrest in the Asian financial hub threatens to distract from China's celebrations of the Oct. 1 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule.Key Developments:MTR Corp. said it suspended airport express train service in both directions, and on the Tung Chung and Disneyland Resort lines.Riot police start clearing protesters at the airport who tried to paralyze transport to the facility.Service was suspended at various key metro stations after clashes between protesters and police spread to the public transport system.The Chinese central government earlier this summer dismissed a proposal by Chief Executive Lam to withdraw the controversial extradition bill, and ordered her not to yield to protesters' demands, Reuters reported.Here's the latest (all times local):Police arrests (6.18 p.m.)Police arrested 63 people -- 54 men and nine women -- in train stations in Kowloon on Saturday night, Acting Senior Superintendent of Kowloon West Tsui Suk Yee said at a press conference. The youngest person held was 13 years old, she said. Petrol bombs, laser pens and helmets were confiscated and those arrested face charges including possession of weapons and unlawful assembly, according to the police. Two trains were damaged by demonstrators, she said.Tung Chung line suspended (6.05 p.m.)MTR, operator of Hong Kong's rail service, suspended train services on its Tung Chung and Disneyland Resort lines. Police said protesters damaged turnstiles, CCTV cameras and broke windows in the customer service station at the Tung Chung train station. The demonstrators blocked roads in the area and set fire to barricades, according to a police statement.Airport train service suspended (4.45 p.m.)MTR suspended its airport express train service in both directions, saying someone was trespassing on a track near the Airport Station.Riot police move in (3 p.m.)antiELAB protesters outside Hong Kong's Legislative Council officesHongKongProtests 香港 More @business: https://t.co/MmE4GkqhtD pic.twitter.com/9ZnKPDCTUA— Bloomberg TicToc (@tictoc) August 31, 2019 Riot police moved to disperse crowds of protesters around the airport building and in the public transport areas. Demonstrators built barricades of rubbish skips in roads into and out of the facility, and prevented buses from leaving the terminus.Crowds of people walked along the highway toward the airport after buses and train service to the facility was canceled.Airport protests (1 p.m.)Protesters vandalized turnstiles at train stations to the airport and spray-painted graffiti as crowds gathered to try to disrupt transport to the facility, where people had massed outside. MTR suspended service of express trains to the airport.Two Gunshots (Sunday 3 a.m.)Two shots were fired minutes apart shortly after 9 p.m. Hong Kong time after police found themselves surrounded by demonstrators, Yolanda Yu, a police senior superintendent, said at a briefing early Sunday morning. The officers were in serious danger, she said, adding that the shots followed repeated warnings to the demonstrators.Clashes in metro (10:45 p.m.)Riot police rushed into multiple subway stations, making a number of arrests and ordering reporters to clear out. Clashes in the transport system were reported at several stations and the metro service was suspended at key stops disrupting two of the system's main lines. MTR, the system operator, said on its website that it was forced to suspend some service due to "disturbances" and "damage to facilities."Clashes continue into the night (8.30 p.m.)Police baton-charged protesters and drove them off the streets with water canons as clashes continued into the night. The retreating protesters seemed to disperse only to reappear in a nearby suburb. In some clashes police were outnumbered and were forced back, with protesters hurling firebombs and other objects. Police did manage to arrest some people and loaded them into vans.Barricade bonfire (7.20 p.m.)Protesters used police barricades, and stands and fencing from a nearby park to build a huge blaze in the middle of a road in Wan Chai in the city center. Plumes of smoke filled the air as fire engines battled for access to the blaze.Police said protesters also attacked government buildings with petrol bombs."Violent protesters continue to throw corrosives and petrol bombs on Central Government Complex, Legislative Council Complex and Police Headquarters," police said in a statement. "Such acts pose a serious threat to everyone at the scene and breach public peace."Blue dye fired (6 p.m.)Police sprayed what appeared to be dye at protesters outside the Legislative Council offices, leaving the streets washed in blue. A water cannon was deployed earlier to drive away the demonstrators.Tear gas fired, helicopter hovers (4 p.m.)Police fired tear gas at demonstrators outside the Legislative Council offices in Admiralty after people lobbed eggs and surrounded the building, which was barricaded. Earlier, protesters urged one another to cover their heads with umbrellas to avoid being identified as a Government Flying Service helicopter hovered over the marchers.Rex Lau, a 31-year-old lecturer, said he and others were risking everything by marching to maintain their rights as Hong Kong citizens."Some of the people are scared of the emergency law and the arrests, and people think they might get fired for speaking out," he said, wearing a mask and holding a black umbrella as he walked down a closed-off road in a chanting crowd of thousands."But today, I thought if I stayed at home and didn't come out that we would lose our rights," he said. "If we keep silent, the government may think everything's OK and that we have no comment about the extradition bill, about 'one country, two systems,' and about our elections."Marchers defy ban (2.30 p.m.)Tens of thousands of protesters marched peacefully through the streets of business and shopping districts on Hong Kong island despite a police ban. The procession wound its way through the Central neighborhood and headed to the western part of the island where the China Liaison Office is located."If the government wants to stabilize society, they should give some positive response to demands made by the protesters -- like Ms. Carrie Lam should resign and set up independent commission to look into the issues. And I think that would be very helpful," Yeung said.China Rejected Lam's Concession: Reuters (2:23 p.m.)The Chinese central government earlier this summer dismissed a proposal by Chief Executive Lam to withdraw the controversial extradition bill, Reuters reported on Friday. Beijing ordered Lam not to yield to any of the protesters' other demands at that time, the report said, citing three unidentified people with direct knowledge of the matter.\--With assistance from Natalie Lung, Annie Lee, Justin Chin and Fion Li.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Karen Leigh in Hong Kong at kleigh4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, ;Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Stanley JamesFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Where's the pope? Stuck in Vatican elevator until rescue Posted: 01 Sep 2019 05:54 AM PDT  Thousands of people who were gathered in St. Peter's Square for the traditional Sunday on-the-dot-of-noon appearance by Pope Francis were watching for the window of the Apostolic Palace to be thrown open so they could listen to the pope's remarks and receive his blessing. Then Francis popped out and answered their question: "First of all I must excuse myself for being late. Apparently referring to electrical power, Francis explained that there was a "drop in tension," causing the elevator to get stuck.
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| British police urged to assist New York investigators with Epstein case Posted: 31 Aug 2019 09:36 AM PDT  British police should assist the New York investigators with their inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking network, a source close to one of his victims has said. New York authorities have repeatedly said that they will continue investigating whether he had co-conspirators, and will not let the case die with the disgraced financier. Epstein, 66, died on August 10 from what a coroner ruled was suicide, while awaiting trial in a Manhattan jail. New York prosecutors are now turning their attention to any co-conspirators – among them Ghislaine Maxwell, the British heiress, and Sarah Kellen, another Epstein employee. Two sources close to the investigation told The New York Times on Friday they were looking into the activities of Haley Robson, now 33, who told police in a 2009 deposition how she was paid to bring young girls to Epstein in Florida. Haley Robson, now 33, said in a 2009 deposition that she had been paid to recruit girls for Epstein Asked if the British police should assist the New York prosecutors, the source replied: "They should". Epstein owned homes in New York, Paris and New Mexico, and spent much of his time on the island he owned in the Caribbean. But his globe-trotting extended to the United Kingdom, where in June 2000 he was among 600 guests at Windsor Castle to celebrate four Royal birthdays, with "the dance of the decades". In December 2000 he joined Prince Andrew and Miss Maxwell at the Queen's Sandringham estate, and in early 2001 he was in London for a night out with Prince Andrew, Miss Maxwell and Virginia Roberts-Giuffre. Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, photographed at Sandringham in December 2000 Mrs Roberts-Giuffre claims that she was forced to have sex with the prince after their night out. He has vehemently denied her claims. All the allegations against the Duke were struck from the court record in 2015 after being described as "immaterial and impertinent" by a judge. Now British police are being asked whether they intend to assist the New York prosecutors with their case. New York police refused to comment on their ongoing investigation. Last week detectives at the Metropolitan Police revealed they have "revisited" the decision not to investigate Epstein's London links, but said their choice "remains entirely appropriate". The Met has previously received an allegation of non-recent trafficking for sexual exploitation but had closed the matter after deciding that the case would not progress to a full investigation. Despite possible information sharing between US and French authorities, the force confirmed on August 26 that it stands by its original decision and will not investigate his links to alleged crimes committed in the UK capital. "We acknowledge the considerable interest and concern around this case and have revisited that decision making and believe it remains entirely appropriate," a spokesman for the force said. "Therefore no further action is being taken. The Met will always take seriously any allegation concerning sexual exploitation."
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| Kashmiri militant calls for Pakistan military intervention in disputed region Posted: 01 Sep 2019 11:32 AM PDT ![Kashmiri militant calls for Pakistan military intervention in disputed region]( "Kashmiri militant calls for Pakistan military intervention in disputed region") A Kashmiri militant commander said on Sunday that Pakistan should send troops to protect the people of India-controlled Kashmir if the United Nations does not send peacekeepers, after New Delhi revoked its autonomy last month. "It's binding upon the armed forces of Pakistan, the first Islamic nuclear power, to enter India-occupied Kashmir to militarily help the people of the territory," Syed Salahuddin, who heads an alliance of over a dozen groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, said. Khan has so far focused on a global diplomatic campaign condemning India's actions.
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| Chinese national carrying bulletproof vest denied entry to US possessed ‘significant cache of firearms’ Posted: 01 Sep 2019 05:58 AM PDT  A Chinese national who was denied entry to the United States after officials discovered ballistic armour in his luggage possessed a "significant weapons cache" at his US residence, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Friday.A photo of the weaponry sent to The Independent by CBP showed at least five guns, several high-capacity magazines and attachments used to make semiautomatic weapons fire faster, commonly known as "bump-stock" devices.
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| US blacklists Iran oil tanker in Mediterranean Posted: 30 Aug 2019 06:42 PM PDT The United States on Friday blacklisted the Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya following repeated warnings over its valuable oil cargo. The US Department of Treasury on Friday said the vessel is "blocked property" under an anti-terrorist order, and "anyone providing support to the Adrian Darya 1 risks being sanctioned". Lebanon had earlier dismissed Turkish claims that it would receive the ship, which has a cargo of 2.1 million barrels worth around $140 million.
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| Reporter calls White House ‘unprofessional’ in cutting off his access Posted: 01 Sep 2019 01:22 PM PDT  Suspended journalist Brian Karem accuses the Trump administration of mistreating the press.
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| Trucker pleads guilty to California crash that killed 13 Posted: 31 Aug 2019 11:40 AM PDT  A trucker who fell asleep behind the wheel was sentenced to four years in state prison after he pleaded guilty to causing a tour bus crash on a Southern California freeway that killed 13 people in 2016, officials said. Bruce Guilford of Covington, Georgia, faced 42 charges of reckless driving and vehicular manslaughter. John Hall, a spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, said Guildford pleaded guilty to all counts Friday.
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| Texas governor says 'mistakes were made' in a fundraising mailer that contained anti-illegal immigration rhetoric Posted: 30 Aug 2019 07:56 PM PDT  Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott said this week "mistakes were made" regarding a fundraising letter that contained anti-illegal immigration rhetoric and which was sent out a day before the mass shooting in El Paso earlier this month.
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| Five Parisian schools delay reopening due to lead from Notre-Dame fire Posted: 01 Sep 2019 06:37 AM PDT  The Paris education authority has ordered five private schools which were to have re-opened on Monday after the summer holiday to remain closed until toxic lead from the Notre-Dame fire is removed. All schools in areas near the cathedral were deep-cleaned during the holidays after unsafe levels of lead were detected exceeding 70 micrograms per square metre. Health inspectors have given state schools the green light to reopen but say the five private schools, run by the Roman Catholic church, still require more thorough decontamination. More than 400 tonnes of lead from Notre-Dame's roofing and spire melted and were dispersed as air-borne dust during the fire in April. Lead is particularly toxic to young children. The city authorities were in charge of removing lead from state schools and nurseries. Church officials responsible for the private schools were not immediately available to comment on whether the order to delay the start of term was justified. One of the five schools concerned has been criticised for failing to test for lead or carry out decontamination until a court order was issued. Environmental groups have also accused the Paris authorities of playing down the risk. But Emmanuel Grégoire, a deputy mayor, said that the authorities had in fact done more than required by law. "There was no obligation, but we still decided to invest €200,000 (more than £180,000) to replace flooring [in state schools]," he said. Workers wearing chemical protection suits and goggles decontaminated school buildings, playgrounds and nurseries during the holidays. In the cathedral itself, work on shoring up the structure was suspended for three weeks this summer while stricter safety procedures were put in place at the demand of labour inspectors concerned about the health risks to workers who were removing lead. Environmental groups have been campaigning for a special decontamination unit to be set up a local hospital and for systematic testing of residents and workers in central areas near Notre-Dame.
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| Hong Kong commercial centers paralyzed as protesters, police exchange petrol bombs and tear gas Posted: 30 Aug 2019 07:59 PM PDT  Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannon on Saturday and pro-democracy protesters threw petrol bombs in the latest in a series of chaotic clashes that have plunged the Chinese-ruled city into its worst political crisis in decades. Police fired round after round of tear gas and protesters took cover behind umbrellas between the local headquarters of China's People's Liberation Army and the government. Protesters also threw bricks dug up from pathways at police.
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| Miniature horse gets aisle seat on flight from Chicago to Omaha Posted: 31 Aug 2019 12:35 AM PDT  A miniature horse had an aisle seat on an American Airlines flight from Chicago to Omaha.
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| How Trump Can Win the Trade War Posted: 31 Aug 2019 06:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- If the trade war's objective is to even the playing field for American firms, President Donald Trump isn't going about it the right way. China's easy access to U.S. dollars over the past decade has fueled asset bubbles, driven an overseas debt binge and laid the groundwork for its low-cost, export-driven economy. Only cutting off the supply of cheap money will reverse this.So while Trump is pressuring Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates – questioning the central bank chief's patriotism and calling him "a bigger enemy than Xi Jinping" – the way to wring equitable behavior out of China is for the Fed to hold the line.Fundamentally, money will go where it can find yield. And however much capital the world has to spare, China has shown an appetite to absorb it. During the most expansive years of quantitative easing in the U.S., foreign money seeking yield went into China labeled as "trade" and "investment."From 2009 to 2014, China may have taken in as much as $2 trillion in hot money spewing from the Federal Reserve's low interest-rate policy. My company looked at just one measure – the over-invoicing of exports via Hong Kong – in just one year, 2013, and found $390 billion of such flows into China.Since Beijing's capital controls, at the time, aimed to shut out foreigners eager to bet on a steadily strengthening yuan, speculators looked for bypasses: For example, some trading companies in China would inflate the value of their exports, enabling more money to enter the country as "export receipts." Exaggerated foreign direct investment was also a popular channel for incoming speculative money, as was debt.China's economic story begins and ends with liquidity; with so many dead assets that have to be refinanced every year, the country requires an ever-growing supply of capital. Much more than cheap labor, this cheap capital is what has created bargain-basement export goods. It also fosters anti-competitive behavior. Domestic companies can operate at a much lower cost than their U.S. counterparts, and they are rewarded in capital markets, despite growing evidence of intellectual-property theft.Consider what a decade of near-zero interest-rate policy has done for China:IPOs: Chinese companies listed in the U.S. now have a value of about $890 billion. Not even the high-profile delistings and fraud charges against China MediaExpress Holdings Inc. and Sino-Forest Corp. could drain the hype for the IPOs of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., JD.com Inc. and Vipshop Holdings Ltd. Bonds: Investors hungry for yield have lapped up bonds issued by China's riskiest companies. That's enabled firms such as junk-rated China Evergrande Group, one of the country's most indebted developers, to continue tapping U.S. markets. Chinese firms have raised more than 90% of the high-yield Asian dollar debt issued this year. Mainland developers have about $110 billion in offshore junk-rated debt outstanding. Dumping: A steady flow of dollars into China fueled an investment splurge that supported the manufacturing of ultra-cheap exports, from DVD players and TV sets to solar panels. China's history of leniency toward borrowers – its first onshore default was in 2014 – meant firms were able to sell their goods at cut-rate prices without worrying about how they'd pay back their loans.All this means that the best way to curb Chinese excess is to limit the availability of the dollar. Trump's demand that Powell cut rates by one percentage point is counterproductive to what appears, anyway, to be the goal of the trade war. There are other, more targeted measures that the U.S. can pursue in tandem. These include: Halting new Chinese IPOs in the U.S. American regulators have already ramped up scrutiny over such listings, which have tumbled to $2.8 billion so far this year compared with $29.1 billion in 2014. The U.S. needs to close the door to all share sales until China agrees to enable investigation and prosecution of fraud by listed companies. Requiring that American auditors and stock regulators have access to the audit papers of Chinese companies that are part of U.S.-listed entities, under penalty of delisting. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a Washington-based non-profit that scrutinizes audits, also should be permitted to review its members in China, a goal the Securities and Exchange Commission highlighted in recent commentary. Taxing incoming Chinese (and other foreign) investment. U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Josh Hawley in late July submitted a bill that would allow the Fed to impose a flexible tax on capital inflows. This measure would make it less attractive to park money in U.S. assets, thereby shrinking the capital account imbalance, and by extension, the trade deficit.Depending on whether Trump gets his rate cut, China's slowdown will be fast or slow. By enabling new stimulus, cheap dollars would give the Chinese more rope to hang themselves with. Holding the line will mean Chinese austerity and unemployment. In that case, there would be no way out of economic recession other than an ambitious program of economic reform.To contact the author of this story: Anne Stevenson-Yang at anne@jcapitalresearch.comTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Rachel Rosenthal at rrosenthal21@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Anne Stevenson-Yang is co-founder and research director of J Capital Research Ltd., a provider of investment advisory services.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Man told Starbucks barista his name was Aziz and she put ‘Isis’ on his cup Posted: 31 Aug 2019 05:59 AM PDT  In the same city where a Starbucks employee last year called police on black men for sitting quietly, two men in Islamic dress walked into a different Starbucks store for a drink.Niquel Johnson paid for three drinks in Philadelphia on Sunday, and in typical Starbucks fashion, an employee asked for his name. Mr Johnson, 40, told them "Aziz," his Islamic name pronounced ah-zeez. He has used it for 25 years - and "countless" times at that particular store.
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| The 737 Max has 'no value' after 2 deadly crashes as passengers no longer trust the plane, the lawyer for an aviation firm suing Boeing says Posted: 31 Aug 2019 02:07 AM PDT  Avia Capital Services is suing Boeing, claiming it intentionally misled customers and regulators about the 737 Max's safety and asking for a refund.
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| 3 officers injured in California melee; 2 suspects arrested Posted: 31 Aug 2019 06:22 PM PDT ![3 officers injured in California melee; 2 suspects arrested]( "3 officers injured in California melee; 2 suspects arrested") Three San Jose police officers were injured in a melee downtown as a large crowd approached them as they issued citations for drinking alcohol. KPIX-TV reports Saturday that the large crowd "aggressively interfered" with the officers shortly before 2 a.m. One suspect was arrested after he was seeing running while holding a gun. The San Jose Police Officers Association denounced the violence and called for national legislation to increase penalties on people who target law enforcement officers.
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| Student loans: Betsy DeVos rule change means college students must fight for loan forgiveness Posted: 30 Aug 2019 05:51 PM PDT  DeVos thought it was too easy under Obama for students to get loan forgiveness if a college closed or if their degree didn't prepare them for a job.
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| Opposition supporters defy ban, march on Moscow Posted: 31 Aug 2019 07:21 AM PDT  Chanting "This is our city", Russian opposition supporters marched in central Moscow Saturday in defiance of a protest ban, just a week before controversial elections in the capital. Under the watchful eye of police, hundreds participated in the so-called "March against political repressions", shouting out demands including: "Freedom to political prisoners!". Moscow police said turnout was about 750, while Russian media gave a figure of several thousand people.
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| Diplomat says U.S. does not want military intervention in Venezuela: report Posted: 01 Sep 2019 04:14 PM PDT  The United States is not seeking a military intervention as a solution to the economic and political crisis in Venezuela, the U.S. envoy to the troubled South American nation said in an interview published by a Venezuelan online news site on Sunday. Washington this year disavowed Maduro, whose 2018 re-election was widely dismissed as a farce, and recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate president. The United States on Wednesday opened a representative office called the Venezuela Affairs Unit (VAU), based in Colombia, to provide U.S. diplomatic representation to Guaido's interim government and to continue pressuring for a transition.
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| National Trust blames summer heatwave for missing visitor target as it sounds warning about climate Posted: 01 Sep 2019 04:07 PM PDT  The National Trust has blamed the heatwave of last summer for failing to hit its visitor targets, as it warned climate change could threaten the future of its sites. The charity said admission incomes were down nearly £5 million against budget due to what it described as "one of the strangest weather patterns in modern times". Scorching temperatures prevailed over the UK from June to August last year, leading to widespread crop failures, wildfires and, it seems, an apathy for wholesome excursions. Around 26.9 million people paid to visit National Trust sites in the year ending February 2019, short of the 27.4 million target it set itself, according to its annual report. It said: "We had set a budget of £123 million for the year but the difficult weather conditions in the early season and the very hot weather in the summer affected our visitor numbers - admissions income was down nearly £5 million against budget and our commercial contribution missed its target by £10 million." The changing climate was a recurring theme throughout the 94-page review amid concerns it could have a ruinous impact on the land which the Trust works to preserve. The National Trust is one of Britain's largest landowners and has committed itself to slashing energy use and minimising its properties' carbon footprint. Earlier this summer, it vowed to cease investment in fossil fuel companies - and now claims to get more of its energy from renewable sources than from "oil and liquid petroleum gas combined". However, due to the remote location of many of the National Trust's holdings, the organisation conceded both it and its visitors would rely on fossil fuels for "some years to come". A strategy has now been put in place to ensure properties are able to cope as best they can with "long-term changes in climate and extreme weather events". The trust said the risks posed by climate change were "numerous and diverse", especially if coupled with any cuts to public funding for the environment. The report added: "The impact of failing to adapt effectively to climate change will be considerable and could significantly impede the delivery of our strategic aims. "In particular, there may be implications for our ability to restore a healthy, beautiful natural environment and to look after the places in our care both now and into the future." The National Trust overseas the 780 miles of coastline, 248,000 hectares of land and more than 500 historic houses, gardens and parks in Britain. Elsewhere in the report, the National Trust admitted trust had slumped in the third sector following "failings in some charities' controls and behaviours". It claimed the negative publicity that followed high-profile scandals - such as revelations Oxfam staff hired prostitutes in Haiti - had "long-term reputational ramifications for all charities". The organisation also said it was at increasing risk of digital fraud after moving much of its information online. "The Trust recognises that any digital fraud or theft would have a greater impact than it would ever have done in the past," the report said, adding that measures were being taken to repel cyber attacks.
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| Death toll rises to seven in Texas shooting rampage; shooter identified Posted: 01 Sep 2019 02:19 PM PDT  The death toll rose to seven after a gunman's rampage that left many more injured following what began as a routine traffic stop in Odessa, Texas.
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| Calls to end inhumane border conditions aren’t enough. Ice must be abolished Posted: 01 Sep 2019 11:30 AM PDT  What is there to salvage in an agency that exists solely to hunt, catalogue and detain the most vulnerable among us? Ice's violence is as systematic as it is cruel'Abolitionist movements have always been discredited as impossible until they are realized.' Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesThis summer, a coalition of award-winning authors came together with a plea to Congress: they called for an end to the inhumane conditions in detention centers, where women are forced to drink out of toilets and children go without food, water or medical care.The writers, immigrants and refugees themselves, know just what is at stake: "Many of us came to the US as children and shudder to think how this country would treat us now," they write. They urge Congress to mitigate the worst abuses of our immigration system, from unsafe conditions – in detention or third countries – to endless backlogs and convoluted legal processes.The plea is commendable. But where are we as a society if we cannot dream bigger? What does it mean that some of our most beloved writers – who have laboriously envisioned new and radical worlds – didn't imagine a future that respects the right to human movement?The writer and political theorist Mark Fisher spoke to the stagnation of our political imagination through what he called capitalist realism. The concept, he wrote, is "the widespread sense that not only is capitalism the only viable political and economic system, but also that it is now impossible even to imagine a coherent alternative to it". Following the fall of the Soviet Union, the encroachment of neoliberalism was read as a natural, inevitable progression – "the end of history", the political scientist Francis Fukuyama wrote. Mark Fisher reminds us that this sense of inevitability is no accident, that there is nothing natural about it. Though other systems might be in many ways preferable to capitalism, a lack of coherent alternatives in the public imagination leaves us resigned to a future where we fight each time more desperately for ever-smaller crumbs.Although Fisher tragically took his own life two years ago, his assessment reminds us that there exist futures far more radical and utopian within our reach, should we strive for them.> It's far more radical to tolerate borders – to accept this violence as normal – than it is to call for their abolitionWhat does a "fair trial" look like on stolen land? Who has the authority to serve as arbiter of life and death? Faced with a system that fetishizes cruelty, our demands are too modest. It's far more radical to tolerate borders – to accept this violence as normal – than it is to call for their abolition.Consider Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), which has been embroiled in scandals for its treatment of detainees for months on end. Although the agency has been in existence for under two decades, it has been mythologized such that it seems impossible to live without it.Still, some are bravely calling for just that. While at first glance it may seem an impossible demand, Fisher's alternative invites us to ask: what is there to salvage in an agency that exists solely to hunt, catalogue and detain the most vulnerable among us? Scandal after scandal has shown that the rot goes far beyond a few bad apples – Ice violence is as systematic as it is cruel. A child of the war on terror, there is no Ice without a tacit agreement that immigrants present an existential threat to our wellbeing. Calls to abolish Ice challenge us to know better.The US spends more than $7bn a year on an agency so universally reviled that even its own agents want to be distanced. What could an alternative vision of justice look like? Republicans have never shied from making policy demands, however harmful and outlandish. Democrats have a singular opportunity to put forth a bold plan for immigration premised on human dignity and the freedom of movement. Abolitionist movements have always been discredited as impossible until they are realized. It is by refusing to concede to a rightwing vision of possibility that unimaginable prospects become reality. * Natascha Elena Uhlmann is the author of Abolish Ice (Or Books)
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| Why has America taken so long to confront its dark history? Posted: 31 Aug 2019 04:27 AM PDT  Sherri Burr recently learned she is almost certainly related to a notorious Broadway villain.After years digging through archives and then undertaking a DNA test, the law professor - who is African American - learned she is most likely a descendant of Aaron Burr. Burr, who was white, served as America's third vice president, but is best known for shooting dead founding father Alexander Hamilton in a 1804 duel, an episode memorisalised in Lin-Manuel Miranda's astonishingly successful musical.
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| Justice Ginsburg reports she's on way to 'well' after cancer Posted: 31 Aug 2019 03:38 PM PDT  Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Saturday she's "alive" and on her way to being "very well" following radiation treatment for cancer. The event came a little over a week after Ginsburg disclosed that she had completed three weeks of outpatient radiation therapy for a cancerous tumor on her pancreas and is now disease-free. It is the fourth time over the past two decades that Ginsburg, the leader of the court's liberal wing, has been treated for cancer.
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| Rio-Paris crash relatives finger Airbus in new report Posted: 01 Sep 2019 01:53 PM PDT  Relatives of victims of the 2009 Rio-Paris air crash have provided evidence they say supports their claim that Airbus knew of problems with an onboard instrument five years earlier, it emerged Sunday. The news comes a decade into a legal wrangle and weeks after French prosecutors recommended that only Air France face trial over allegations that it had known about the instrument problem on its Airbus A330 plane. On the night of the crash it is alleged the tubes frosted over and caused the speed sensors to freeze up, according to a probe undertaken in November 2004 for Thales, the tubes' manufacturer.
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| Man arrested at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey after weapons found in car Posted: 01 Sep 2019 05:47 AM PDT  Police arrested a man at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey after they say an arsenal of weapons was found in his car.
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| South Korean lawmakers visit disputed islets as Japan tensions mount Posted: 31 Aug 2019 12:41 AM PDT  TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) - A group of South Korean lawmakers visited islands disputed with Japan, sparking a protest from the Japanese foreign ministry as the countries' already tense relationship deteriorates further. Six Korean lawmakers on Saturday flew to the islets, known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan, in part to protest Japanese curbs on shipments of essential components for making smartphone chips, South Korea's chief export. "Regardless of the South Korean government's efforts, Japan has not only dropped South Korea from the "white list", but also, it is claiming Dokdo as part of its territory, worsening the South Korea-Japan relations," said Sul Hoon, a ruling Democratic Party lawmaker.
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