| California wildfires: Family whose gender-reveal party sparked huge blaze could face multi-million dollar fine Posted: 08 Sep 2020 04:01 AM PDT  Blaze has engulfed some 8,000 acres of land, authorities say
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| Belarus opposition figure 'tore passport to pieces' to avoid expulsion Posted: 08 Sep 2020 12:30 PM PDT  Authorities in Belarus tried to forcibly expel leading opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova from the country but she tore up her passport in defiance and jumped out a car window to stay, her allies said Tuesday.
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| $300,000 raised for salon owner accused of "setting up" Pelosi Posted: 08 Sep 2020 09:29 AM PDT  Salon owner Erica Kious received support after saying she is thinking of relocating her business due to threats following the viral video.
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| Rochester Police department's entire command staff, including its chief, have resigned over the death of Daniel Prude Posted: 08 Sep 2020 02:54 PM PDT  Rochester, New York, Mayor Lovely Warren announced that the police department's command staff was resigning during a city council meeting Tuesday.
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| Tuscaloosa Mayor Reopens College Bars as COVID-19 Skyrockets at University of Alabama Posted: 07 Sep 2020 09:37 AM PDT  The mayor of Tuscaloosa is letting bars near the University of Alabama reopen on Tuesday, even though the school just reported more than 800 new cases.In a press release, Mayor Walt Maddox citied a "positive trend" in results, saying an overall decline in community positivity rates "provides an opportunity for a limited reopening of bars which have sacrificed a great deal to protect our healthcare system and economy." At the same time, the university reported 846 new cases over the last week—the largest increase in a single week since classes began.Maddox shut down all bars in the area for two weeks in late August, after more than 500 University of Alabama students tested positive in the first five days back on campus. The latest tally shows an increase in average daily cases from that first report, though a slight decline from a truncated, three-day report the week before. The university boasted about the trend in a press release, with Dean of the College of Community Health Sciences Richard Friend claiming it "shows that the UA System Health & Safety Plan is working."University of Alabama to Profs: Don't Tell Students About COVID-Infected ClassmatesThe release pointed out that only 65 students had tested positive the day before. But even Friend noted that they had yet to see the full benefits of bars being shuttered in the area, saying that they were only "starting to see the results of those decisions."Even some students were outraged with the decision. One who identifies himself as a freshman at the university tweeted that the mayor was making a "huge mistake" and that the decision made him feel less safe on campus."Cases aren't going down. They are skyrocketing," he wrote. "Why are our politicians constantly failing to do the right thing? I just don't get it."Maddox initially ordered bars shut down and bar service suspended at restaurants for two weeks on Aug. 24, after photos of coeds flocking to local bars, maskless and packed together, surfaced on social media. The university also suspended all social gatherings on or off campus, and instituted a 14-day moratorium on student events outside of classes."The ever-increasing number cases of coronavirus on campus will create two major disruptions for the city of Tuscaloosa if left unabated," Maddox said at the time, citing disruptions to the economy and the health care system. "I know this is not easy. I know the coronavirus has taken so much but we must finish the job."His updated order issued Friday allows lounge establishments to operate at 50 percent capacity if they do not exceed 100 people and also allows other establishments to serve alcohol only to seated customers.The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.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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| Donald Trump cuts Joe Biden's lead in key battleground states, exclusive polling reveals Posted: 08 Sep 2020 12:58 PM PDT  Donald Trump has slashed Joe Biden's lead in some of the key battleground states which will likely determine who wins the US election, according to new polling for The Telegraph. The US president saw the percentage of people who say they will vote for him in six swing states rise between July and early September, according to the survey results. The results will be cheered in the Trump campaign given the president has trailed by a huge margin over the summer as coronavirus cases surged in America. For months Redfield & Wilton Strategies has been tracking opinion for this newspaper in the six states Mr Trump won by the narrowest margins in 2016: Arizona, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. The last polling in mid-July showed Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, clearly in the lead in all six states. The latest surveys, conducted in late August and early September after the party conventions, have that lead narrowing. Mr Trump is now ahead in North Carolina by one percentage point, according to the polling. He has also roughly halved Mr Biden's lead in Florida. Mr Biden still leads in Pennsylvania and Arizona and is far ahead in Michigan and Wisconsin.
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| Philippine president pardons U.S. Marine jailed for transgender killing Posted: 07 Sep 2020 06:13 AM PDT  Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday pardoned a United States Marine convicted of killing a transgender woman in the country nearly six years ago, sparking condemnation from activists who described the move as a "mockery of justice". Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton was jailed in 2015 for killing Jennifer Laude near a former U.S. navy base. A trial court signed off on his early release last week for good conduct, but was blocked by an appeal from Laude's lawyers.
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| Trump is a looming presence over congressional race, strategists say Posted: 07 Sep 2020 06:54 AM PDT  The campaign to win control of Congress is turning into a referendum on President Trump. While Republicans are hitching their fortunes to their party's leader, Democrats are positioning themselves as a bulwark against him.
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| ‘Cult’ booted from Hawaii island following protests over cultural appropriation Posted: 08 Sep 2020 11:55 AM PDT  Group previously forced to leave Kauai for own safety
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| Tropical trouble for the Carolinas? Forecasters eye system in the Atlantic Posted: 08 Sep 2020 02:07 PM PDT  A tropical disturbance about 300 miles southwest of Bermuda could become a tropical depression as it moves northwest over the Atlantic this week.
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| Thousands of Burning Man fans violated social distancing laws to hold their own festivals in the Nevada desert and on California beaches Posted: 07 Sep 2020 12:09 PM PDT  San Francisco Mayor London Breed called those gathering on beaches "reckless" and "selfish" for violating social distancing guidelines.
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| Wreckage of sunken WWII battleship found off Norway Posted: 08 Sep 2020 04:48 AM PDT  The 571-foot Karlsruhe led the attack on Kristiansand during the invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940.
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| A French man chased a fly around with an electric swatter and accidentally blew up his own house Posted: 07 Sep 2020 08:16 AM PDT  The man, in his 80s, was slightly burned and his home is uninhabitable. The fate of the fly is unknown.
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| Catholic priest says Democrats are going to hell — and Texas bishop backs him up Posted: 08 Sep 2020 09:20 AM PDT  "Repent of your support of that party and its platform or face the fires of hell," the priest said.
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| Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe faces new charge while on temporary release says Iran state media Posted: 08 Sep 2020 05:31 AM PDT  An Iranian court issued a new unspecified charge against British aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported. The British-Iranian dual national has been detained in Tehran since 2016 on sedition charges, but was temporarily released from Evin Prison prison in March amid the coronavirus outbreak after serving nearly all of her five-year sentence. She is barred from leaving the country. "The branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary court summoned Nazanin Zaghari and her designated lawyer this morning and informed her of a new indictment," an unnamed official told the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) news website. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested during a holiday in April 2016 and accused of plotting the "soft toppling" of Iran's clerical establishment. Her family and employer deny the accusations against her. They say the 41-year-old from Hampstead, north London, was in Iran with her young daughter Gabriella to visit family. "Our colleague is innocent and remains unlawfully held hostage for crimes she has not committed," said Antonio Zappulla, Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO. "We had desperately hoped there might be an end in sight to her trauma," he said in a statement. "Instead, she now faces a new charge – details of which remain hidden – following a secret appearance at the country's revolutionary court today." Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn Tulip Siddiq tweeted that she had spoken with Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and could "confirm that she was taken to court this morning and told she will face another trial on Sunday." Her husband Richard Ratcliffe, who has campaigned relentlessly for her release, believes his wife's release is contingent on the UK paying Iran money owed on a cancelled 1970s weapons deal. "The failure to resolve this issue has resulted in Nazanin being taken hostage, and other people being taken hostage," Mr Ratcliffe said in a BBC Panorama documentary broadcast last month. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has acknowledged that he is seeking to pay a debt to the Iranian government, in a letter reported in the Guardian on Friday to lawyers acting for families of dual nationals detained in Iran, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The debt derives from Chieftain tanks ordered by the shah of Iran. When the Shah was overthrown in 1979, Britain did not deliver the 1,500 tanks to the new Islamic republic nor return the money. International arbitration in 2008 found that the UK owed the debt, thought to be worth about £400m. Neither the UK nor Iran acknowledges a link between the payment of the debt and freeing of British prisoners in Iran. Mr Ratcliffe said last month he feared his wife, who was due for release in March 2021, could face a second trial. "Behind closed doors, they keep saying there's a second court case, they keep talking about running it," he told ITV. Amnesty International condemned the reports of a new charge against Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. "Nazanin has already been convicted once after a deeply unfair trial, and there should be no question of her being put through that ordeal again," said Kate Allen, the advocacy group's UK director. "As a matter of absolute urgency the UK government should make fresh representations on Nazanin's behalf, seeking to have any suggestion of a second trial removed."
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| Mexican president says would extradite predecessor Calderon to U.S. Posted: 08 Sep 2020 10:06 AM PDT  Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would extradite former President Felipe Calderon to the United States if Washington asked him to, according to an interview published on Tuesday. Responding to a question from newspaper La Jornada, Lopez Obrador, a leftist, did not explain what could prompt such an extradition request for Calderon, a conservative rival whom he accused of robbing him of the presidency in 2006. Calderon governed Mexico from 2006 to 2012 and is arguably best known for launching a military-led crackdown on drug cartels that coincided with a spike in homicides and gang violence.
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| High turnout by Trump’s base won’t be enough to get him re-elected Posted: 06 Sep 2020 07:13 PM PDT  According to an analysis provided to the Washington Post,
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| Last 2 journalists working for Australian media leave China Posted: 07 Sep 2020 04:52 PM PDT  The last two journalists working for Australian media in China have left the country after police demanded interviews with them and temporarily blocked their departures, marking a further twist in China's increasingly troubled relationship with the foreign media. The absence of Australian media from China for the first time in four decades comes during a low point in the two countries' relations, and the events that led to the journalists' departures were seen as evidence of an increasing risk to foreign journalists working in China.
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| Raging wildfires destroy Washington town, roar through California, Oregon Posted: 08 Sep 2020 11:46 AM PDT  Firefighters and emergency responders searched on Tuesday for residents of tiny Malden, about 300 miles (480 km) east of Seattle, a day after a firestorm destroyed 80% of its homes, along with the fire station, post office, city hall and library. "The scale of this disaster really can't be expressed in words," said Brett Myers, sheriff of Whitman County, where the town of 200-300 people is located.
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| Georgia to investigate 1,000 alleged cases of double voting in primary Posted: 08 Sep 2020 10:55 AM PDT  Georgia's top election official said Tuesday that his office has identified about 1,000 cases of double voting in the June primary election — a felony he's determined to see prosecuted.
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| Rochester, NY, police chief announces retirement in wake of Daniel Prude's death Posted: 08 Sep 2020 02:21 PM PDT  Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary announced his retirement Tuesday in the wake of Daniel Prude's death in police custody in March.
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| Colorado school officials called the sheriff and suspended a 12-year-old Black boy after he showed a toy gun in his Zoom class Posted: 08 Sep 2020 05:12 AM PDT  Isaiah Elliott's parents say the school went straight to the sheriff's office before asking them if the "Zombie Hunter" gun was real or fake.
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| Officer shoots 13-year-old boy with autism after mom calls 911 for help, Utah cops say Posted: 08 Sep 2020 08:17 AM PDT  "He's a small child. Why didn't you just tackle him?"
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| At least 11 dead in massacres in Colombia Posted: 07 Sep 2020 08:02 PM PDT  At least 11 people were killed in three separate group killings in Colombia, police said Monday, one of the deadliest days since FARC guerrillas signed a peace accord with the government in 2016.
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| Black teenager attacked by corrections deputy Posted: 07 Sep 2020 02:06 PM PDT  A now-viral video shows a Florida deputy attacking a teenager who is currently in custody at a juvenile detention center. WWSB ABC7 reports Sarasota County deputy Neil Pizzo was placed on administrative leave following the incident. In a surveillance video, the deputy is seen choking 17-year-old Terrence Reed.
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| ‘Kooks, the crazies, the extremists, the angry fringe’: Lincoln Project ad blames Trump for Kenosha killings Posted: 08 Sep 2020 09:44 AM PDT  Ad connects president's rhetoric to killings of two Black Lives Matter protesters last month
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| Hospital: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is out of a medically induced coma Posted: 07 Sep 2020 06:30 PM PDT  After being placed in a medically induced coma, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is "being weaned off mechanical ventilation" and is "responding to verbal stimuli," Berlin's Charité Hospital announced on Monday.Last week, the German government said tests showed "unequivocal evidence" that a "chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group" was used to poison Navalny, a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Charité Hospital said it "remains too early to gauge the potential long-term effects" of Navalny's "severe poisoning."Navalny became sick on Aug. 20 while on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow. Before being flown to Berlin, Navalny was treated by Russian doctors who claimed he was not poisoned. The Kremlin has denied playing any role in the incident.In 2018, a Novichok nerve agent was used to poison Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy living in England, and his daughter. These chemical weapons were first developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and few scientists outside of Russia have much experience working with them, CNN reports.More stories from theweek.com Senate Republicans are apparently struggling to find 51 GOP votes for a COVID-19 relief bill Are the troops turning on Trump? Keeping Up With the Kardashians to end after Season 20
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| Iranian fuel seized by U.S. to reach Texas within days Posted: 08 Sep 2020 09:46 AM PDT |
| McConnell says Senate will vote on slimmed-down COVID bill this week Posted: 08 Sep 2020 12:49 PM PDT  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the bill would focus on health care, education and economic issues.
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| Search for missing livestock ship crew off Japan resumes Posted: 07 Sep 2020 07:46 PM PDT  Japanese coast guard ships resumed searching on Tuesday for a livestock ship and its 40 missing crew members off Japan's southern islands after the efforts were suspended due to a typhoon. The Gulf Livestock 1 sent a distress signal early Sept. 2 while it was sailing in stormy conditions in the East China Sea as a typhoon passed the area. Two survivors were rescued and the body of a third crew member was recovered before a second typhoon halted the search.
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| Two Oregon men arrested for allegedly attacking counter-protesters at pro-Trump rally Posted: 08 Sep 2020 04:06 PM PDT  Two people were arrested for attacking counter-protesters during a pro-Trump rally outside the Capitol building in Salem on Labor Day.
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| Rachel Dolezal 2.0 highlights a very specific type of white female privilege Posted: 07 Sep 2020 01:33 AM PDT  Before we move on to the next spectacle, we should consider what about our society produces and craves such imposters while ignoring more complex portrayals of Blackness.
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| Hong Kong activist charged under archaic sedition law Posted: 08 Sep 2020 04:28 AM PDT  A prominent Hong Kong democracy activist on Tuesday became the first person to be charged with sedition since the city was returned to Chinese rule as authorities widened their pursuit of critics in the financial hub.
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| Police chief stabbed in face with ice pick after answering his door, SC cops say Posted: 08 Sep 2020 12:25 PM PDT  The suspect is accused of saying the chief was "going to die."
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| Trump ex-campaign chief accused of spending like a ‘drunken sailor’ amid reports $800 million of funds already spent Posted: 08 Sep 2020 05:18 AM PDT  Brad Parscale was demoted from campaign chief role in July
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| Endangered baby gorilla born in New Orleans Posted: 08 Sep 2020 11:49 AM PDT  A baby gorilla was born at the zoo in New Orleans. Audubon Zoo spokeswoman Katie Smith says keepers don't yet know the sex of the critically endangered western lowland gorilla yet. (Sept. 8)
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| A Misleading Attempt to Bolster the ‘Mostly Peaceful’ Riots Narrative Posted: 08 Sep 2020 01:43 PM PDT  Has this summer's unrest been "mostly peaceful," as some have claimed? A new study from Roudabeh Kishi and Sam Jones at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) has been trumpeted as sufficient justification for the media's attempt to push this line. Kishi and Jones's partisan framing have doubtlessly contributed to this misunderstanding. "In more than 93 percent of all demonstrations connected to the movement, demonstrators have not engaged in violence or destructive activity," they explain. "Violent demonstrations, meanwhile, have been limited to fewer than 220 locations," they assure us. More remarkable is their assertion that the media is responsible for the public's increasingly negative view of the Black Lives Matter movement. They lament the "disproportionate coverage of violent demonstrations" and dismiss the claim that "antifa is a terrorist organization" as a "mischaracterization." They advise that we not let ourselves be manipulated by "the media focus on looting and vandalism . . . there is little evidence to suggest that demonstrators have engaged in widespread violence."While Kishi and Jones may be surprised that the media is more inclined to cover violent riots than peaceful protests, the people living and working in the neighborhoods ravaged by those riots do not share their confusion. For widows such as Ann Dorn, whose husband, David, was killed in St. Louis by people attempting to loot a pawn shop he was protecting, it is readily apparent why the violence matters. Nineteen people had already died in riot-related violence two weeks into the protests in early June. For small-business owners already struggling to stay afloat under the pressure of a pandemic, it is similarly self-evident. In a six-day period from May 29 to June 3, rioters were responsible for over $400 million in damage across the country. As of June 9, 450 New York City businesses had been looted or otherwise vandalized. In Minneapolis and St. Paul — where riots first broke out after George Floyd's death — 1,500 businesses have sustained damage. As Brad Polumbo has observed, the socioeconomic shadow cast by that damage will be a long one, as business owners will be loathe to invest in an area in which the government cannot guarantee that their property will be protected. Tragically, because the riots are concentrated in urban settings, they disproportionately take the lives and damage the property of minorities.Yet Kishi and Jones remain sanguine about the role that Black Lives Matter has played in the destruction, and insist that where violence has occurred, it is largely attributable to the far right. As evidence, they cite the fact that a single member of the Hells Angels gang was caught smashing windows in Minneapolis in late May. That behavior is worthy of condemnation and imprisonment, but Kishi and Jones can't help themselves from laying the blame of all of the ensuing violence on this single incident. According to their analysis, those smashed windows "helped spark an outbreak of looting following initially peaceful protests." If a man smiles and shakes your hand before pulling a gun on you, the initial feigned friendliness may not have been genuine. If a man sees smashed windows and thinks, "That looks like fun," he was probably never especially opposed to committing acts of violence.The ACLED researchers further excuse lawlessness in American cities by conveniently ignoring the aforementioned harm caused to blameless families and businesses, asserting that "in many cases" the "violent demonstrations have specifically targeted statues seen to represent the country's legacy of racist violence." Notably, Kishi and Jones draw no distinction between efforts to tear down statues of Confederate leader Jefferson Davis versus those of Christopher Columbus. Moreover, while Rich Lowry has convincingly argued that conservatives should not feel any particular affinity toward Confederate monuments, all Americans should share an attachment to the rule of law.Kishi and Jones's assessment of data also changes depending on if they feel the numbers carry enough water for Black Lives Matter. They dismiss violence in 7 percent of demonstrations as miniscule, yet count a similar proportion of violent incidents inspired by anger at monuments as "very many." Kishi and Jones also express outrage at the fact that there has been "government intervention" in about 9 percent of the demonstrations, "despite the fact that demonstrations associated with the BLM movement have been overwhelmingly peaceful." Per their own analysis, that makes for a difference of only 2 percent between the protests that have turned violent and the ones in which authorities have stepped in.None of this is to say that the many peaceful protesters who have participated in marches around the country have no legitimate grievances, or to call those participants violent criminals. The Republican majority in the Senate has acknowledged issues with our criminal-justice system and proposed legislation to address many of them — legislation blocked by their Democratic colleagues for political purposes. But it is to suggest that that hundreds of violent riots resulting in billions of dollars in damage, lost life, and a fraying social fabric is not an issue to be set aside. And it's also to suggest that the efforts of academics and journalists attempting to set them aside are as transparent as they are egregious.
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| Palestinians set to soften stance on UAE-Israel normalisation: draft statement Posted: 08 Sep 2020 08:22 AM PDT  The Palestinian leadership has watered down its criticism of the normalisation deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates before an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Wednesday at which the accord will be debated. A draft resolution presented by the Palestinian envoy, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, does not include a call to condemn, or act against, the Emirates over the U.S.-brokered deal. Announced on Aug. 13, the accord was the first such accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years, and was forged largely through shared fears of Iran.
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| 'Shots fired' over India and China border dispute Posted: 08 Sep 2020 02:55 AM PDT  Indian and Chinese troops appeared to exchange warning shots along their disputed border in Ladakh on Monday, the first time firearms have been used by soldiers from the neighbouring superpowers since 1975. While no casualties were reported, the clash is likely to further heighten tensions after the two sides were engaged in fatal hand-to-hand combat earlier this year. China claimed on Tuesday that Indian soldiers had opened fire to ward off a unit patrolling in a contested mountainous region. But India, officially, denied they fired shots, countering that China had used their guns to intimidate Indian forces. However, Indian Army sources told The Telegraph a Chinese patrol had advanced towards Indian territory on strategically important mountain tops near Pangong Tso Lake. They claimed Indian units fired warning shots in the air. Zhao Lijian, a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said: "It is the first time since 1975 that peace on the border of the two countries was broken by gunshots." In a statement released on Tuesday, the Indian Government condemned the PLA for "blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive maneuvers" and reiterated its commitment to "protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs." Years of fragile peace has set a convention that states the two sides do not use guns to avoid escalations of violence in remote terrain.
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| ByteDance is giving its 60,000 employees cash bonuses after working 'endless hours' amid TikTok ban 'noise' Posted: 08 Sep 2020 11:08 AM PDT  The bonuses are to "thank everyone for their efforts and dedication" as ByteDance and TikTok face challenges brought on by politics and COVID-19.
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| China passed 'extraordinary' virus test, says bullish Xi Posted: 08 Sep 2020 01:04 AM PDT  China has passed "an extraordinary and historic test" with its handling of the coronavirus, President Xi Jinping said Tuesday at a triumphant awards ceremony for medical professionals decorated with bugle calls and applause.
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| Exclusive: More Americans predict Trump will win the presidential debates than Biden, USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll shows Posted: 07 Sep 2020 09:55 AM PDT  Respondents to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll were more likely to give President Donald Trump the advantage in upcoming debates with Joe Biden.
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| Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and more attend Chadwick Boseman private memorial Posted: 06 Sep 2020 09:12 PM PDT  The 'Black Panther' star will be laid to rest in his hometown of Anderson, South Carolina. Just over a week after Chadwick Boseman died of cancer, several of his Black Panther costars gathered in Malibu for a private memorial. According to PEOPLE, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, and Boseman's wife, Taylor Simone Ledward were among the attendees on Saturday. The Sun obtained photos of the event that also included Winston Duke and music played from a hang drum.
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| California fires burn record 2m acres as new blazes prompt rescue missions Posted: 08 Sep 2020 04:00 PM PDT  Area burned is larger than state of Delaware as west is shrouded in smoke that has caused some of the worst air quality in the world * California wildfires – live coverageWildfires have burned a record 2m acres of California, with fresh conflagrations prompting dramatic rescue missions and shrouding much of the US west in smoke that has caused some of the worst air quality in the world.The area burned this year is now larger than the state of Delaware, surpassing the annual state record of 1.96m acres that went up in flames throughout 2018, according to the California department of forestry and fire protection, or Cal Fire.California's governor, Gavin Newsom, said on Tuesday that the state was facing an "extraordinary" challenge this wildfire season. "The word historic is a term we use often in the state of California, but these numbers bear fruit," he told reporters at a press conference.The scale and intensity of the fires, which have arrived before seasonal winds that typically spread flames throughout forests, have stunned firefighters hardened to huge blazes in the state."It's a little unnerving because September and October are historically our worst months for fires," said Lynne Tolmachoff, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire.More than 100 people trapped in remote locations were rescued by helicopter on Tuesday as one of the largest wildfires, the Creek fire, spread rapidly across more than 140,000 acres in the Sierras. Tweets from the California national guard showed dozens of people and several dogs disembarking in an airport in Fresno, with the national guard saying it was still attempting to rescue others.> More video from this morning of 46 people and four dogs arriving at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport after being rescued from Lake Edison by a Stockton-based Cal Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter. More aircraft are still attempting to rescue others trapped by the CreekFire pic.twitter.com/lmAWTpmFeC> > — The California National Guard (@CalGuard) September 8, 2020The latest rescue missions follow dramatic scenes over the weekend, including a group of more than 200 people, mostly campers and hikers, airlifted from a popular lake on Saturday by the California national guard, which used helicopters to hoist the imperiled people to safety. About 20 people had injuries ranging from broken bones to burns.The Creek fire was 0% contained as of Tuesday afternoon. Scientists say the climate crisis is causing larger fires and an elongated fire season in the US west, by spurring extreme heat and the drying out of fire-prone vegetation."California has always been the canary in the coalmine for climate change, and this weekend's events only underscore that reality," said Newsom."I have no patience for climate change deniers," he added. "That view is completely inconsistent with the reality on the ground, and the facts of our experiences. You may not believe it, but our own experiences tell a different story here in the state of California."More than 14,000 firefighters are struggling to contain dozens of fires across California, which is in the grip of a record heatwave and is forecast to experience potentially calamitous windy conditions in the coming days.The US Forest Service said 14 firefighters and bulldozer operators had been injured on Tuesday while battling the Dolan Fire in Monterey county, with injuries that include burns and smoke inhalation. Three were airlifted to a hospital, including one in critical condition.Newsom has declared a state of emergency, with complete evacuations ordered for several remote communities in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Forests have been shut off to the public due to a "monumental fire threat" that has caused firefighting resources to be "stretched to the limit", the US Forest Service said.Firefighters working in steep terrain saved the tiny town of Shaver Lake from flames that raced down hillsides towards a marina. About 30 houses were destroyed in the remote hamlet of Big Creek, according to resident Toby Wait."About half the private homes in town burned down," he said. "Words cannot even begin to describe the devastation of this community."A total of eight people have died in the fires, Cal Fire said, but more widespread health problems are likely to be triggered by the pall of smoke that has engulfed much of the west coast. Dangerously unhealthy smoke pollution has been recorded throughout California, as well as Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Doctors have warned the choking haze is dangerous to vulnerable people, such as those with respiratory problems.Fires have roared to life amid scorching temperatures, with Los Angeles county reporting its highest ever temperature of 49.4C (121F) on Sunday, just a few weeks after California's Death Valley recorded what may be the hottest temperature captured on Earth: 54.4C (129F).This heat is causing cascading crises for the state, including its power supply. PG&E, the largest utility in the state, has shut down the electricity supply to parts of northern California to reduce the chance of igniting more wildfires. Power blackouts, caused by surging energy use, have blighted many Californians, with people in Los Angeles advised to limit their electricity consumption.In his Tuesday press conference, Newsom said a weekend heatwave is putting extraordinary pressure on California's utilities. Usually the state averages 38,000 daily megawatts of energy use at its peak, but over the weekend it reached more than 47,000 megawatts."We have put severe pressure on our grid," Newsom said.Many of the fires were ignited by an unusual burst of lightning strikes last month. But human actions, intentional or otherwise, have also played a role.A couple who held a "gender reveal" party for their unborn child on Saturday set off a smoke bomb that was meant to send plumes of pink or blue smoke into the air. Instead, the pyrotechnic device torched dry wild grasses in El Dorado Ranch Park, around 80 miles east of Los Angeles, causing a mammoth fire that forced 20,000 people to evacuate.
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| Record floods threaten pyramid sites in Sudan Posted: 08 Sep 2020 06:25 AM PDT  Record floods in Sudan have threatened sites housing the royal pyramids of Meroe and Nuri, two of the country's most important archaeological areas, an official said on Tuesday. The royal bath at Meroe, a basin that fills during the annual flooding of the Nile, was at risk from unprecedented water levels, and teams have been working since Monday to protect the site from being swamped, said Hatem al-Nour, director of Sudan's antiquities and museums authority. Meroe is an ancient city on the east bank of the River Nile about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of the capital Khartoum.
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| Israeli startup’s counter-drone augmented reality system to deploy with US forces Posted: 08 Sep 2020 02:04 PM PDT  A new joint Israeli and U.S. program aims to develop an augmented reality based control for unmanned systems to engage in small drone-on-drone warfare.
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| French pensioners left 'homeless' by squatters who changed locks to Riviera villa Posted: 08 Sep 2020 06:26 AM PDT  The case of a retired French couple who sold their house to settle into a Riviera villa only to find that it was occupied by a family, leaving them "homeless", has triggered public outrage and calls to change the country's squatting laws. Henri and Marie-Thérèse Kaloustian, both 75, were looking forward to a peaceful retirement by the sea after selling their home in Lyon, southeastern France. Their intention was to decamp to the holiday home, a pink villa they have owned for the past 36 years in the picturesque village of Théooule-sur-Mer. But when they arrived late August, they were shocked to discover that an unknown couple with two small children had "moved in" and refused to budge. After receiving threats from the father, they contacted the local gendarmerie who refused to throw the family out without a court order, reportedly telling the couple: "Sorry, squatters have all the rights."
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