| Otto Warmbier's family make claim for North Korean ship 'Wise Honest' seized by US Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:50 PM PDT  The U.S. had seized the ship, the "Wise Honest," because of violations of international sanctions against North Korea.
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| UPDATE 1-U.S. sent message to Iran after drone downing, warning of limited strike - Iranian official Posted: 06 Jul 2019 11:37 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-U.S. sent message to Iran after drone downing, warning of limited strike - Iranian official]( "UPDATE 1-U.S. sent message to Iran after drone downing, warning of limited strike - Iranian official") The United States conveyed a message to Iran warning of a limited strike against the country after its unmanned drone was shot down in the Gulf, Iran's civil defence agency chief was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency on Sunday. "After the downing of its intruding drone, the United States told us through diplomatic intermediaries that it wanted to carry out a limited operation," said Gholamreza Jalali, who is also a senior commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.
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| 14 sailors killed in submarine fire laid to rest in Russia Posted: 06 Jul 2019 04:58 AM PDT  The 14 Russian seamen who died in a fire on one of the navy's research submersibles earlier this week were laid to rest in St. Petersburg on Saturday. The Defense Ministry said the sailors were killed by toxic fumes from the fire. Officials didn't name the nuclear-powered vessel, but Russian media reported that it was Russia's most secret submersible, the Losharik.
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| Manhunt launched after five bodies found in Missouri apartment Posted: 07 Jul 2019 09:15 AM PDT  Five people were found dead at an apartment in St Louis, Missouri, prompting police to appeal to the local community for help.The victims' bodies were discovered after a friend of the group returned to the building in the north of the city at around midday on Saturday.All five are adults but detectives did not release any information about their ages, genders or causes of death."We can tell they are homicides," said St Louis County police officer Tracey Panus outside the scene on Chambers Road."We got a call around noon for suspicious deaths in the 1900 block of Chambers. When we responded we found five deceased victims."We don't know cause of death, we don't have any suspects in custody, we are just looking for tips, we are looking for people to call our investigators to provide any information they may have seen between 9pm and noon today."Detectives used specialist equipment to take 3D images of the crime scene as part of the homicide investigation. The St Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper reported that the bodies were discovered by the father of one of the victims.Ronald Brewster, 68, said he went to the apartment to pick up his 40 year-old son, also named Ronald, for a family reunion. He said his son was a drug user, adding: "I worried about him and tried many times to get him into rehab."Photographs of the single-floor apartment block showed several windows and doors boarded up. Police said not all of the units were vacant.St Louis County Police chief Jon Belmar said: "It's a tragedy for a community, any time there is a scene like this, when five individuals are a victim of homicide."We need help from the community to assist us - somebody out there knows what happened."
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| Multiple injuries in Florida gas explosion Posted: 06 Jul 2019 11:10 AM PDT  A vacant pizza restaurant exploded Saturday in a thundering roar at a South Florida shopping plaza, injuring more than 20 people as large chunks of concrete flew through the air. The blast flung debris widely along a busy road in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant was destroyed, and nearby businesses and cars were damaged. Though firefighters found ruptured gas lines afterward, authorities said it was too early to determine a cause. Broward County Firefighters works in the area where an explosion occurred at a shopping center in Plantation, Florida Credit: Cristobal Herrera/Rex "We thought it was thunder at first, and then we felt the building shake and things started falling. I looked outside and it was almost like the world was ending," said Alex Carver, a worket at a deli across the street from the explosion. "It was nuts, man. It was crazy." The explosion hurled large pieces of concrete up to 50 yards (45 meters) away and sent pieces of metal scattering as far as 100 yards (90 meters) across the street. Carver said two of his co-workers' cars were destroyed. At least 21 people were injured though none of the injuries was life-threatening, Police Sgt. Jesica Ryan said. The explosion demolished the building, leaving behind only part of its metal frame. The restaurant, called PizzaFire, had been out of business for several months. The blast also blew out the windows of a popular fitness club next door at the shopping plaza in Broward County. Jesse Walaschek had just left the fitness club with his wife and three children, ages 4, 6 and 8. They were parked near the restaurant and had just driven about 50 yards (45 meters) away when they heard the blast.. The building where the explosion happen destroyed. People I spoke with described feeling Surrounding buildings shake as far as South of SR 595 @WPLGLocal10pic.twitter.com/gd4qLU21n4— Roy Ramos (@RRamosWPLG) July 6, 2019 "It was a massive explosion like I have never experienced," he said. Walasheck said dust and debris filled the air. "Everything just stopped. You didn't see anybody. I just wanted to get these guys safe," he said, pointing to his children. "If this had happened a minute before when we were getting the kids in the car, it would have been really bad." Dozens of firefighters responded and could be seen picking through the rubble with dogs sniffing through the debris to make sure people weren't trapped underneath. There were no known fatalities immediately after the explosion. Fire department Battalion Chief Joel Gordon said there were ruptured gas lines when firefighters arrived, but he couldn't say for certain that it was a gas explosion. "At this point, nobody was killed. Thank goodness for that. As bad as it is, it could have been a lot worse," Gordon said
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| Hong Kong Protester Who Defaced the City Emblem Is Still Angry Posted: 06 Jul 2019 02:29 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Of all the dramatic visuals to emerge from the protests that rocked Hong Kong in recent weeks, one stands out: the defaced city emblem left by demonstrators who stormed the legislature on July 1.The image of Hong Kong's iconic bauhinia flower covered in black paint has become a symbol of the frustrations that sent hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets and drove some to vandalism. The masked 20-year-old behind the graffiti, who would only give his last name as Lau, said he targeted the bauhinia because it would be "meaningful."As Hong Kong gears up for another round of demonstrations this weekend, interviews with Lau and others who broke into the legislature that evening suggest their anger with the government and its backers in Beijing is deeply entrenched. While Lau is wary of becoming a police target after images of him spray-painting the city emblem were broadcast around the world, he said he still believes what he did was right."Hong Kong people are very stressed," Lau said. "The problems are endless."The protesters interviewed by Bloomberg spoke of the underlying frustration and dissatisfaction toward the government that have accumulated among young adults over the years -- from wealth disparity to out-of-reach home prices in the world's most expensive property market, and a sense of eroding democratic norms.Read more: Why Hong Kong Is Protesting (and May Do So Again)Lau's lack of regret also underscores the persistent divide between protesters and Hong Kong's government. Carrie Lam, the city's chief executive, suspended the extradition bill that sparked the initial demonstrations last month but has refused to completely withdraw it or meet protesters' other demands. This week, Hong Kong police began arresting suspects on charges related to the July 1 demonstrations.Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have mounted a campaign of criticism, describing the invasion of Hong Kong's legislature as a threat to the rule of law. A front-page editorial in the Communist Party's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily, blasted the protesters as "extremists" whose actions threaten to "ruin Hong Kong's reputation as an international business metropolis."A protest planned for July 7 illustrates how demonstrators are increasingly targeting China's overall influence on the city, rather than just the extradition bill. Participants will march from Salisbury Garden, an area frequented by Chinese tourists, toward the high-speed rail station that connects Hong Kong all the way to Beijing.People want to "protest against the regime," said Wayne, a 29-year-old design freelancer who was among the first demonstrators to enter the legislature on July 1, the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China from Britain. He declined to give his full name for fear of being targeted by authorities."Anti-extradition is only one of the trigger points," he said. "Hong Kong hasn't had genuine democracy in the 20 or so years since the handover of sovereignty."One of the reforms protesters are calling for relates to direct elections for the city's top office. Hong Kong's chief executives are currently chosen by a 1,200-member committee of mostly Beijing supporters. For Lau, that's why a replacement for Lam -- who started her third year in office this week -- wouldn't be enough."The next one would be the same," he said. "We've seen how they're like."The now-suspended extradition law, which if passed would allow such transfers to China, had added to a list of worries that Beijing is encroaching on the "high degree of autonomy" promised for Hong Kong.The Hong Kong Immigration Department in 2018 refused to renew a U.K. journalist's work visa after he hosted a talk by pro-independence activist Andy Chan at the city's Foreign Correspondents' Club. The government also banned Chan's party after that speech. An exhibition featuring an artist critical of China was canceled due to what the organizer called "threats" by Chinese authorities.K.T. Li, an unemployed 23-year-old, said he may escalate his own actions in future protests because the government has failed to address his concerns, which includes the fear that Hong Kong will be a city that's highly monitored by Chinese authorities. At the same time, he stressed that he doesn't want to harm anyone, including the police."If they want to name me a rioter, I accept that," Li said. "But I've been forced to become one. Whether what we do is right? It's for later generations to decide."To contact the reporters on this story: Shawna Kwan in Hong Kong at wkwan35@bloomberg.net;Natalie Lung in Hong Kong at flung6@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Tracy Alloway, Michael PattersonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Migrant rescue sailboat defies Salvini, docks in Italy Posted: 06 Jul 2019 07:28 PM PDT  A charity rescue vessel on Saturday brought 41 shipwrecked migrants into port in Lampedusa, the second boat to defy far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's bid to close Italian ports to them. Mediterranea's Italian-flagged Alex was met by a strong police presence on the quayside but people were not allowed to disembark after spending two days with the rescued migrants and asylum seekers on the sailboat. "I do not authorise any landing for those who couldn't care less about Italian laws and help the people smugglers," populist deputy prime minister Salvini tweeted as night fell.
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| Florida man found dead with 100 dog bites after he took a shortcut home Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:42 AM PDT ![Florida man found dead with 100 dog bites after he took a shortcut home]( "Florida man found dead with 100 dog bites after he took a shortcut home") Authorities say a man in Florida was killed by a pack of dogs who bit him more than 100 times as he took a shortcut to gt home.
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| China Likely Tested Missiles That Can Kill Aircraft Carriers in the South China Sea Posted: 06 Jul 2019 02:13 AM PDT  Earlier this week China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force most likely tested a DF-21D or DF-26 anti-ship ballistic missile—sometimes know as "carrier-killers"—in the South China Sea. Details remain sketchy, as Chinese spokesmen have remained close-mouthed about the exercise. The test came on the heels of news last May that PLA weaponeers had installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles on Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef, and Mischief Reef, west of the Philippine Islands. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn told CNBC that this week's missile test contradicted China's "claim to want to bring peace to the region and obviously actions like this are coercive acts meant to intimidate other South China Sea claimants."Col. Eastburn has it half right. Beijing clearly wants to coerce others. But the test was entirely consistent with its claim to want to bring peace to the region. It does want peace; it simply wants to transform the nature of that peace, and force is a means to that end. If Chinese Communist Party prelates in Beijing get their way, they—not foreign governments or international institutions—will make the rules in the South China Sea. They will issue laws or policy decrees mandating or proscribing certain actions in regional seaways, and others will obey. Peace will prevail.QED.
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| How Can Presidential Candidates Be So Silly? Posted: 07 Jul 2019 03:30 AM PDT  If California senator Kamala Harris is elected president in 2020 and reelected in 2024, by the time she leaves office 114 months from now she might have a coherent answer to the question of whether Americans should be forbidden to have what 217 million of them currently have: private health insurance. Her 22 weeks of contradictory statements, and her Trumpian meretriciousness about her contradictions, reveal a frivolity about upending health care's complex 18 percent of America's economy. And her bumblings illustrate how many of the Democratic presidential aspirants, snug in their intellectual silos, have lost -- if they ever had -- an aptitude for talking like, and to, normal Americans.Seven days after announcing her candidacy in January, Harris, appearing on CNN, endorsed "Medicare for All" and was asked: So, people "who like their [private] insurance, they don't get to keep it?" She answered: "The idea is that everyone gets access to medical care, and you don't have to go through the process of going through an insurance company, having them give you approval, going through the paperwork, all of the delay that may require. . . . Let's eliminate all of that." More government, less paperwork. Really.She subsequently, as the New York Times -- not an unsympathetic auditor of her campaign -- says, "waffled" regarding private insurance. But at the second Miami debate she raised her hand ("just as quickly as Mr. Sanders," the Times reported) when a moderator asked: "Many people watching at home have health insurance through their employer. Who here would abolish their private insurance in favor of a government-run plan?" Harris also raised her hand just as quickly as Senator Elizabeth Warren had done the night before, who exclaimed, "I'm with Bernie." Senator Bernie Sanders is the purest advocate of a government-only health care system.The next morning on MSNBC, Harris said, "No, I do not" support ending private health insurance, claiming that she heard the pronoun "their" in the debate moderator's question (see the paragraph above) as an ungrammatical reference to each individual candidate. This alibi might be less implausible if she had not recently said, in a detailed response to a Times inquiry about her health-insurance policy, that she favored abolishing private insurance.One cannot unring a bell, and Harris cannot erase the fact that she has repeatedly said she wants to take from 217 million Americans -- 80 million more than voted in 2016 -- something most of them like. And she is striking at a core function of organized labor, which is to negotiate employer-provided health care as untaxed compensation.Equally maladroit was her debate decision to wrap herself in an unpopular policy that ended 20 years ago. Nothing did more to fuel the conservative ascendancy in the 1980s than the 1970s enthusiasm of some judges and politicians for the compulsory busing of (other people's) children away from their neighborhood schools, assigning children to schools on the basis of skin color in order to engineer a desired racial balance. In a 1973 Gallup poll, just 4 percent of whites and 9 percent of blacks chose busing from among a variety of means of achieving integration.Yet Harris chose this issue as a cudgel with which to bludgeon Joe Biden. He, evidently lacking the courage of what once supposedly were his convictions, had neither the gumption nor the mental nimbleness to ask her whether, as president, she would favor reviving the compulsory busing of children away from homes that many parents, black and white, purchased because of their proximity to desirable neighborhood schools. Biden is becoming a conviction contortionist, as with his retreat from 40 years of support for the Hyde amendment. Suddenly he favors federal funding of abortions -- forcing many taxpayers to be complicit in a practice they abhor.Many Democrats striving to replace Donald Trump are, while execrating him, paying him the sincerest form of flattery: imitation. He prepared to campaign for president by calling America a "hellhole" and he began his presidency with an inaugural address that his would-be replacements are mimicking with their versions of his trope about "American carnage."The day the Supreme Court held that "partisan gerrymandering" is not a justiciable issue, Massachusetts representative Seth Moulton, yet another presidential candidate, tweeted: "Make no mistake: the partisan gerrymandering SCOTUS just allowed is also racial gerrymandering -- modern-day Jim Crow. Just look at what happened with Stacey Abrams last cycle in Georgia." Abrams lost a gubernatorial race. How can a statewide race be gerrymandered? How can presidential candidates be so silly?(c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group
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| Trump administration admits that the threat of Huawei spying was enough for a ban Posted: 05 Jul 2019 07:05 PM PDT  It seems the Trump administration has finally explained the rationale for its actions against Huawei that culminated in a sweeping ban of US companies doing business with the Chinese consumer electronics giant. A ban that also led to a series of newsworthy consequences, including FedEx making headlines several times for its confusion over how to handle Huawei-related packages, Huawei acknowledging that its phone sales this year will be off by millions and Google moving to cut off Huawei from Android updates, forcing the Chinese company to ratchet up plans to make a mobile operating system of its own.Huawei is challenging in federal court here the government's ban of the firm, which Huawei says was groundless and that the US has no proof to support its national security concerns. Meanwhile, the government's position, outlined in a new court filing per The New York Times, basically amounts to: So what? More specifically, that even just the potential for Huawei to act as a proxy for China's state security apparatus is reason enough for the US to ban the company's phones and other technology here.Said another way, that a potential end justifies the actual means.Huawei has filed a lawsuit challenging the legislative implementation of the US' Huawei ban, saying that it amounted to Congress passing a so-called "bill of attainder" against Huawei even though such a bill is prohibited. Congress is not supposed to use its power to single out companies or individuals for punishment.In the court filing this week, though, the US claims that the point of the action was not to punish Huawei but instead to keep US consumers safe. Also, per the NYT, the filing says that Congress enacted the Huawei ban because close ties to the Chinese government made "Huawei's products particularly susceptible to the prospective threat of wrongdoing by the Chinese government."Adding even more complexity to this whole thing, President Trump in recent days met with his Chinese counterpart, president Xi Jinping, at the G20 and reportedly backed off the Huawei ban a little. While everyone is still trying to sort out what that means and where the fault lines still lie in this dispute, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei gave a recent interview to the French publication Le Point, in which he said that notwithstanding any reversal of the actions that led to Google cutting off Huawei, Huawei is still going to press full steam ahead on the mobile operating system it's been working on as an Android replacement.
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| Eric Black Jr. bonds out after being charged with capital murder in shooting of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes Posted: 06 Jul 2019 09:03 PM PDT  Eric Black Jr. is back on the street after posting bond on a capital murder charge in the shooting of the 7-year-old Houston girl.
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| El Chapo: US prosecutors want Mexican drug lord to forfeit $12.7bn following conviction Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:13 AM PDT  US prosecutors are seeking to recover $12.7bn (£10.1bn) from the Mexican drug lord El Chapo following his conviction for racketeering and drug trafficking crimes. The "conservative" estimate represents the total amount of cocaine, cannabis and heroin a jury found Joaquin Guzman to have trafficked into the US, multiplied by the average prices of the drugs, according to a filing by prosecutors in federal court.The US Attorney's Office in Brooklyn asked a judge to order Guzman to forfeit the massive sum. It was not immediately clear what assets, if any, the US could seize to satisfy the judgment. A spokesman for the prosecutors declined to comment."This is largely an academic exercise as the government has never located or identified a penny of this $12.7bn in proceeds supposedly generated by Mr Guzman," said Jeffrey Lichtman, a lawyer for the drug lord.Guzman, 62, was convicted in February on all 10 counts he faced, after jurors heard evidence from more than 50 prosecution witnesses offering an unprecedented look at the inner workings of his Sinaloa Cartel.He faces life in prison at his scheduled 17 July sentencing.US district judge Brian Cogan denied his motion to set aside the verdict and hold a new trial which Guzman's lawyers had argued that a new trial was needed after Vice News published an interview with one of the jurors, who said that the jury disobeyed court orders during the case.Guzman made a name for himself in the 1980s by building cross-border tunnels that allowed him to move cocaine from Mexico into the US faster than anyone else.He spent much of his career on the run, moving from one hideout to another in the mountains of Sinaloa, guarded by a private army, and twice escaped from maximum-security Mexican prisons.He was finally captured in January 2016 and extradited to the US to face trial.Despite Guzman's arrest, the Sinaloa Cartel still has the biggest US distribution presence of Mexican cartels, followed by the fast-growing Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration.Together, they are the biggest producers of drugs sold on US streets.Additional reporting by Reuters
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| UPDATE 1-Macron warns Rouhani of consequences if nuclear deal weakened Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:46 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Macron warns Rouhani of consequences if nuclear deal weakened]( "UPDATE 1-Macron warns Rouhani of consequences if nuclear deal weakened") French President Emmanuel Macron told his Iranian counterpart on Saturday that he was deeply concerned by any further weakening of the 2015 nuclear deal and warned that consequences would inevitably follow any such move. Macron spoke to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani a day before Iran is set to increase uranium enrichment purity above the limit set by Iran's deal with world powers. "The president recalled his deep concern in the face of the risk of a new weakening of the 2015 nuclear accord, and the consequences that would necessarily follow," a statement from the French presidency said.
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| AD's Favorite Finds For Green Thumbs and Garden Lovers Posted: 06 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT |
| Iran denies tanker detained by UK was headed to Syria Posted: 06 Jul 2019 05:09 PM PDT  Iran denied Sunday that an oil tanker detained by Britain in Gibraltar was carrying crude to Syria, which would put it in violation of EU sanctions. "The tanker was carrying Iran's oil... Contrary to what the British government claims, its destination was not Syria," said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a press conference in Tehran. "The port named in Syria does not even have the capacity for such a supertanker to dock.
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| Tribute or prank? New statue of Melania Trump in Slovenia confounds residents Posted: 06 Jul 2019 04:23 AM PDT  A life-size rough wooden sculpture of U.S. first lady Melania Trump was unveiled near her hometown of Sevnica in southeastern Slovenia on Friday. Commissioned by Berlin-based American artist Brad Downey and carved with a chainsaw by local folk artist Ales Zupevc, the statue serves as a - perhaps wry - accompaniment to Downey's exhibition in the capital Ljubljana exploring Melania's roots in the small Alpine country. The blocky, rustic figure was cut from the trunk of a living linden tree - whose base forms a tall plinth - in a field beside the Sava River in the village of Rozno, eight km (five miles) from Sevnica. There is no attempt at an accurate likeness, to the point where the gallery in Ljubljana appears uncertain how seriously to take the statue. "Perhaps we are simply trying vigorously to make sense of things that might only be a slapstick prank," it says in a leaflet. "Who knows?" After Melania cake, Melania honey, and even Melania slippers, Sevnica, the Slovenian hometown of the US's first lady now boasts a Melania statue, by conceptual artist Ales 'Maxi' Zupevc that has drawn mixed reviews. Although the statue's face is rough-hewn and unrecognizable, the figure is shown clothed in the pale blue wraparound coat that Melania wore at Donald Trump's inauguration as U.S. president. Downey said he wanted to "have a dialogue with my country's political situation" and highlight Melania Trump's status as an immigrant married to a president sworn to reduce immigration. The sculptor, known as Maxi, was born in the same hospital as Melania Trump, in the same month, and now mostly works as a pipe-layer. "Let's face it," he says in a short film being shown as part of the exhibition, "she owns half of America while I have nothing."
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| Investigators scour scene of Bahamas chopper crash for clues Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:13 PM PDT  Accident investigators in the Bahamas are going well below the surface of the water to try to figure out what went wrong in the moments before a helicopter crashed after takeoff and killed seven people, including West Virginia coal magnate Chris Cline. The Air Accident Investigation Department of the Bahamas said via Twitter late Friday that salvage teams were conducting "underwater surveying and mapping of debris field." The department said the operation has been underway since the crash of the Augusta AW139 chopper, which went down Thursday in waters just off Grand Cay after departing for Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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| Ultimate Weapon? Sanctions on Iran's Supreme Leader Really a Game Changer? Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:45 AM PDT  Despite the limited reach of the United States to directly affect some areas of the Iranian economy with sanctions, it does have room to add effective secondary sanctions.The United States, reacting to the shooting down of a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle last week, launched two sanctions-related salvos against Iran on June 24. It layered sanctions on top of those already targeting commanders in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which are unlikely to have more than a limited effect on the Iranian economy. The second set of sanctions, targeting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his appointees, could bite much deeper than typical sanctions issued by the United States by hampering Iran's engagement with the world and damaging its economy.An Executive Order Lays the GroundworkAn executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump freezes all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction that is held by Iran's supreme leader or the supreme leader's office. In addition, the order allows the U.S. Treasury Department to similarly sanction any person or entity the supreme leader, or his office, appoints, such as a state official or the head of an entity such as a company leader. The order also extends that connection a step further, allowing sanctions to be placed on any appointment made by an appointee of the supreme leader, as well. It also threatens sanctions against anyone who provides support for people or entities sanctioned under those designations.
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| Amash says Pelosi wrong on impeachment – and does not rule out White House run Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:42 AM PDT  * Michigan congressman has left Republican party * Robert Reich: This is Trump and the oligarchs vs the restRepresentative Justin Amash announced on 4 July that he is quitting the party to become an independent. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/APHouse speaker Nancy Pelosi is making a moral and strategic mistake by refusing to bring formal articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, the only Republican in Congress to back such proceedings said on Sunday.The Michigan representative Justin Amash is in fact now an ex-Republican, having announced on 4 July that he is quitting the party to become an independent and fight the "partisan death spiral" of modern US politics.In an interview on CNN's State of the Union, he did not rule out a rumoured run for the White House."I believe that I have to use my skills, my public influence, where it serves the country best," he said. "And I believe I have to defend the constitution in whatever way works best."Such a campaign from the right could complicate Trump's hopes of re-election in 2020. On CNN, Amash defended his role as a founder of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, a key support bloc for the president on which many place much of the blame for deadlock in Congress.Amash also said he believed he could win re-election as an independent.He first called for impeachment – and duly earned stringent abuse from the president and attacks from others in the party – in May, while still a Republican. Amash bases his case for an attempt to remove Trump on the report of special counsel Robert Mueller and his own oft-professed dedication to the meaning and spirit of the US constitution.Mueller, a former FBI director, did not find evidence of conspiracy between Trump and Russia during the 2016 election, in which Russia interfered with the aim of electing Trump over the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.But he did lay out extensive contacts between the Trump campaign and Russians and detailed 11 instances of possible obstruction of justice by the president or his aides. Mueller explicitly said he was not exonerating Trump but in a widely criticised move, attorney general William Barr said the president had no case to answer. Trump has repeatedly claimed vindication.Democrats and many constitutional scholars contend that in his report, and in subsequent remarks to the press, Mueller was laying out a "road map" to impeachment. His testimony before the House judiciary and intelligence committees on 17 July is eagerly awaited.Pelosi has declined to move on growing calls to move impeachment forward. To some, this seems sound political judgment. Impeachment would be unlikely to succeed in the Senate and could galvanise Trump's base ahead of the 2020 election. To others, it seems a dereliction of constitutional duty.On Sunday, Amash said he thought that "from a principled, moral position, [Pelosi] is making a mistake. From a strategic position, she's making a mistake. "If she believes, as I do, that there's impeachable conduct in there, then she should say so. She should tell the American people, 'We're going to move forward with impeachment hearings and potentially articles of impeachment.'"He continued: "When she says things like, 'Oh, I think that we need to have the strongest case before we go forward,' what she's telling the American people is, she doesn't think there's a strong case. If she doesn't think that, then she shouldn't open her mouth in the first place and say she thinks there's impeachable conduct."I do believe there's a strong case. I believe she believes there's a strong case. And, if so, she should move forward and make sure that the American people understand what's going on, because people at home aren't reading the Mueller report."Most people don't have time to read a 448-page report. They expect their members of Congress to do the work for them. They want speaker Pelosi to do the work. They want other members to do the work. And if she doesn't want to go forward, then we're going to have a big problem."Amash was also asked how many Republicans he thought had read the Mueller report, which was published with redactions."I think it's probably less than 15%," he said. "And I would say that's probably the case on both sides of the aisle."If members of Congress did read it, he said, he thought "a large number of them would reach the same conclusion."When you look at the conduct in there, when you look at the evidence that's presented, I think basically anyone would be indicted for that conduct, anyone who is not the president of the United States."
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| PIC's Matjila to Say He Was Ousted to Facilitate Edcon Rescue Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:08 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Daniel Matjila, the ousted chief executive officer of Africa's biggest fund manager, is expected to say his opposition to funding the rescue of a clothing retailer ahead of national elections was one of the reasons he was dismissed.Matjila is scheduled to begin testimony to a special commission of inquiry on Monday that will include his assertion that the rescue of Edcon Holdings Ltd., which supports 140,000 jobs through direct employment and its supply chains, didn't meet the investment criteria of the Public Investment Corp.'s clients, according to his prepared statement.On the day he was ousted, Nov. 23, he met the chairman of the PIC, the country's economic development minister and the CEO of Edcon to put forward the conditions for supporting the deal, he is expected to say at the inquiry. Those weren't viewed favorably, he said.The ongoing inquiry has heard from about 70 witnesses -- several of whom flagged Matjila as playing a key role in approving questionable deals. He has denied that. President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the investigation in October last year, one of a handful he's instituted to probe alleged graft since taking office 16 months ago after Jacob Zuma's scandal-marred nine-year rule.Union PressureIn February, a senior official of the Congress of South African Trade Unions emailed the chairman of the PIC, who was also deputy finance minister at the time. He wrote that unless the PIC supported the rescue, the labor federation wouldn't be able to encourage its members to vote for the ruling African National Congress party in May elections.The rescue was announced a week later, with the PIC leading the 2.7 billion rand ($191 million) rescue. It used 1.2 billion rand of money from the Unemployment Insurance Fund, one of its clients.Matjila is expected to say he was removed, at least partly, to ensure the Edcon rescue could take place. He cited the email, from Cosatu's Parliamentary Coordinator, Matthew Parks, as evidence.Matjila asserts that he and the PIC's then head of private equity, Mervin Muller, maintained they would only back the rescue if Long4Life Ltd.'s proposal to invest 500 million rand in the deal went ahead. Long4Life is led by Brian Joffe, a veteran South African businessman. The company didn't invest.While the bailout would have rescued jobs it was unlikely to generate adequate returns, according to Matjila.The PIC on Thursday denied that the decision to invest the funds was politically influenced. Mondli Gungubele, the former deputy finance minister and chairman of the PIC, hasn't responded to phone calls and text messages about the Edcon deal. Matjila's departure from the PIC "occurred in the context of an avalanche of allegations of serious looting, indefensible investments costing billions of rand and a complete collapse of good governance at the PIC" and the labor federation only got involved two months later, in January, Cosatu said in an emailed statement on Sunday. "Yes we unashamedly championed the Edcon intervention. Cosatu's members have mandated us to fight to the very end to defend workers' jobs.(Adds Cosatu response in last paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Janice Kew in Johannesburg at jkew4@bloomberg.net;Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg at asguazzin@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: John McCorry at jmccorry@bloomberg.net, Gordon Bell, Karl MaierFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| People take to Twitter to react to 7.1 SoCal earthquake Posted: 06 Jul 2019 12:17 AM PDT  A powerful 7.1 earthquake shook Southern California just a day after a 6.4 struck in the same area. Several took to Twitter to show pool water spilled over, lamps shaking and share what they experienced.
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| What You Missed at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed Posted: 07 Jul 2019 01:14 PM PDT |
| Thousands protest amid outcry over Myanmar child-rape case Posted: 06 Jul 2019 12:06 AM PDT ![Thousands protest amid outcry over Myanmar child-rape case]( "Thousands protest amid outcry over Myanmar child-rape case") Thousands of protesters marched to a police office in the north of Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, on Saturday, demanding speedy and transparent justice in a child-rape case that has sparked national outrage. Police said this week they had arrested a suspect in the rape of a toddler - nicknamed Victoria - at a private nursery school in the administrative capital, Naypyitaw, in May. A government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi took power after sweeping elections in 2015, but key institutions such as the police remain under military control and efforts to strengthen the rule of law have floundered.
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| California earthquake: more major quakes and months of aftershocks likely, seismologists say Posted: 07 Jul 2019 01:39 AM PDT  Up to 30,000 aftershocks could hit California in the next six months after the US state was hit by two major earthquakes in 48 hours last week, seismologists have warned. They were part of a continuing sequence of tremors that would affect the area for months, said Lucy Jones, of the California Institute of Technology and said the earthquakes. The region could see more than 30,000 minor earthquakes over six months, with one or two magnitude 6 quakes expected, her colleague and fellow seismologist Egill Hauksson, added. Up to 190 magnitude 3 earthquakes could take place over the next week alone, with a 12 per cent probability of a magnitude 6 earthquake, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).Magnitude 3 earthquakes are big enough to be felt and any earthquake over magnitude 4 is big enough to cause damage to buildings."It is a wake-up call for the rest of the state and other parts of the nation, frankly," California Governor Gavin Newsom said, voicing concerns about the possibility of major aftershocks in the months to come. He said that residents should make sure they know how to respond if more natural disasters strike.Friday's evening's earthquake was the largest one Southern California in nearly 20 years. Centred 11 miles from Ridgecrest, a small town with around 28,000 residents it struck the same area of the desert where a 6.4-magnitude temblor hit on ThursdayThe earthquake was felt by millions across an area ranging from Sacramento, the state capital in the north, to Mexico and including the Las Vegas and Los Angeles counties.It came off the back of hundreds of "foreshocks" that rattled the region late last month. Those left behind cracked and burning buildings, broken roads, obstructed railroad tracks and leaking water and gas lines and prompted the evacuation of the US Navy's largest single landholding, the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the Mohave Desert.Only a few injuries were reported, but two houses were reported to have caught fire from broken gas pipes; water gushed from zigzagged cracks in the busted pavement; and deep fissures were seen snaking across the Mojave Desert.In Ridgecrest, local fire and police officials said they were initially swamped by calls for medical and ambulance service.But police Chief Jed McLaughlin said there was "nothing but minor injuries such as cuts and bruises, by the grace of God."In Trona, a town of about 2,000 people considered the gateway to Death Valley, fire officials said up to 50 structures were damaged. San Bernardino County Supervisor Robert Lovingood said the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) delivered a tractor-trailer full of bottled water because of damage to water lines. Newsom declared a state of emergency for the county. The USGS has issued a red alert for economic losses, meaning that extensive damage is probable and that the disaster is likely widespread. Estimated economic losses are at least $1 billion dollars."Past events with this alert level have required a national or international level response," the USGS said in its assessment.Mr Newsom estimated more than $100m (£79m) in economic damages and said President Donald Trump called him to offer federal support in the rebuilding effort."He's committed in the long haul, the long run, to help support the rebuilding efforts," Mr Newsom, a Democrat, said of his leader. "There's no question we don't agree on everything, but one area where there's no politics, where we work extremely well together, is our response to emergencies," he added. The USGS said the aftershock activity is decreasing faster than average. Aftershocks are minor earthquakes that take place as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main earthquake. It is normal for aftershocks to take place for weeks after a major shock, although their number decreases over time. A large aftershock can temporarily increase the numbers again.With aftershocks expected and temperatures forecast to reach 38 Celsius over the next several days, officials were taking precautions.The California National Guard sent 200 troops, logistical support and aircraft. Major General David Baldwin said the Pentagon had been notified and the entire California Military Department was put on alert. The California Office of Emergency Services also brought in cots, water and meals and set up cooling centres in the region. Additional reporting by Associated Press
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| North Korea says released Australian student was 'spying' Posted: 06 Jul 2019 04:21 AM PDT  An Australian student who was released after being held in North Korea had been "spying" in the reclusive country, state media said Saturday. Alek Sigley, 29, disappeared around two weeks ago prompting deep concern about his fate, but was freed and flew to Japan on Thursday. Official North Korean news agency KCNA said Sigley had admitted "he had been spying by collecting our internal information and sharing with others and repeatedly asked for our forgiveness for infringing on our sovereignty".
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| Organs of executed prisoners in Iran could be sold under new law Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:36 AM PDT  A new law in Iran could see the organs of convicts on death row pre-sold to buyers if the prisoners agree before their executions. Reports suggested that under the new head of the Iranian judiciary, Ebrahim Raeesi, an article in the criminal justice laws has been included which says: "If a convict voluntarily offers his or her organ before or after execution and no medical obstacle is offered, then the judge can approve this in coordination with the ministry of justice and the coroners' office." Iran's Association of Surgeons has strongly condemned the move, describing it as "extremely worrying, damaging to our profession and the prestige of Iran in the eyes of the civilised world". Professor Ali Jafarian of the liver transplant unit at Khomeini hospital in Tehran, who is also a member of the American Society of Transplantation, told the semi-official ISNA news agency that no specialist surgeon in Iran would be prepared to follow the law as "it is immoral and against all the values of our profession". "Anyone sentenced to death would not be in a right frame of mind to 'voluntarily' offer their organs, unless they are forced to do so under immense pressure," Dr Jafarian said. "Members of our association of surgeon will never abide by this law." There is a huge market in Iran for organ transplants due to the vast number of the country's kidney, heart and liver patients. Thousands of people from Arab countries also visit Iran specifically for this purpose, spending millions of pounds at Iran's private clinics. It is legal to sell organs in Iran. According to Mrs. Katayoun Najafizadeh, the head of Iran's Organ Donations Society, currently more than 25,000 Iranian patients are waiting to receive a transplant, but last year only 926 organs, mainly from victims of car crashes, were made available to the country's specialist hospitals. The shortage has led to the emergence of an illicit market where many poor people openly advertise the sale of one of their kidneys to those in need for as little as £200. The only country in the world that used the organs of executed prisoners in this way was China, which banned the practice in 2015, although reports suggest that organs continue to be harvested.
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| Salmonella outbreak linked to fresh Cavi papayas from Mexico has sickened 71 people Posted: 06 Jul 2019 02:07 AM PDT ![Salmonella outbreak linked to fresh Cavi papayas from Mexico has sickened 71 people]( "Salmonella outbreak linked to fresh Cavi papayas from Mexico has sickened 71 people") A salmonella outbreak linked to fresh Cavi papayas from Mexico has sickened 71 people in eight states, according to the CDC and FDA.
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| Gut Check: A Good Guide to the Use of Military Force? Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:30 AM PDT  As expected, the decision to support the strike felt much more difficult when one or more Americans had died.Why did U.S. President Donald Trump recently call off a retaliatory strike against Iran?The answer was proportionality: Trump said the American response to Iran's downing of an American drone should be on a similar scale.That decision, Trump said, came from his "gut."Because the drone was unmanned, Trump said it would be disproportionate for a U.S. strike to result in approximately 150 Iranian deaths, the estimated number of likely casualties.The decision to call off the strike at the last minute may have been the right one. But years of research on valuing human lives, conducted by us and many others, make a compelling case that deciding what is proportional based on gut feelings is a profound mistake.A decision-making process that relies on intuitive feelings, rather than careful deliberation, invites a host of biases that make bad decisions, and disproportional consequences, far more likely.
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| Johnson Set for Crushing Victory Over Hunt, Poll Suggests Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:19 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson looks set for a landslide victory over rival Jeremy Hunt in the race to become Britain's next prime minister.According to a YouGov poll published in the Times newspaper, Johnson is backed by 74% of Conservative Party members with Hunt languishing on 26%.The survey also suggests that the vast majority of the 160,000 grassroots party members who will receive their ballot papers this weekend don't believe Hunt's claim that he's prepared to take Britain out of the European Union without a deal. Only 27% think Hunt would do so, compared with 90% for Johnson.In an interview with the Times, Hunt sought to play down perceptions that Johnson's status as the Brexit referendum's poster child would influence the outcome of the vote. Preparing for an exit without an agreement with Brussels is key, he said, adding that the best way to deliver Brexit would be do so with an accord."The choice on this election isn't actually between our approach to no-deal, it's who is the candidate who is most likely to negotiate a deal so that we don't have those difficult decisions to take," Hunt said.In an interview with the Daily Mail, Johnson responded to a question on what he would do if, by the Brexit deadline at the end of October, the EU has refused to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement and Parliament has blocked a no-deal exit, saying it wouldn't happen "in a month of Sundays."Brexit has become an "existential" issue for both main parties so they need to "move on and get it done," the newspaper quoted him as saying.In the Daily Mail interview Johnson sought to buttress his law and order credentials with a commitment to ensure that serious sexual or violent offenders serve out their full sentences rather than being released at the halfway point as at present. Restrictions on stop-and-search, put in place by Theresa May when she was Home Secretary, should be dumped, he said.The new prime minister is expected to be announced -- and then take office -- during the week of July 22.(Updates with excerpts from Daily Mail interview from sixth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: James Ludden in New York at jludden@bloomberg.net;John Glover in London at johnglover@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew G. Miller at mmiller144@bloomberg.net, James AmottFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iraqi forces begin operation against IS along Syrian border Posted: 07 Jul 2019 03:36 AM PDT ![Iraqi forces begin operation against IS along Syrian border]( "Iraqi forces begin operation against IS along Syrian border") Iraq's security and paramilitary forces began Sunday a military operation along the border with Syria aimed at clearing the area of Islamic State group militants, the military said in a statement. Although Iraq declared victory against IS in July 2017, the extremists have turned into an insurgency and have carried out deadly attacks in the country. The military said the operation that began at sunrise was being carried out by Iraqi troops and members of the Popular Mobilization Forces that largely consist of Iran-backed militias.
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| 10 deals you don’t want to miss on Sunday: Bluetooth earbuds from $17, SanDisk microSDs, half off Echo Dot, more Posted: 07 Jul 2019 04:27 AM PDT  Sunday is all about rest and relaxation... and saving a ton of money on wildly popular products! Highlights from today's daily deals roundup include best-selling true wireless earbuds for $25.39, terrific standard Bluetooth earbuds from TaoTronics for $17.84 when you clip the 30% coupon, excellent deals on SanDisk 128GB and 64GB microSD cards, a whopping 50% off the Echo Dot as well as the 2nd-generation Echo (today only!), a best-selling Instant Pot cookbook with 500 delicious recipes for only $3.99 on Kindle (don't forget, it works in the Kindle app on any device!), AirPods 2 at the lowest price ever on Amazon, Apple Watch deals starting at only $199, $170 off Roborock's best robot vacuum, and more. See all of today's top deals below!
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| Mexican authorities rescue 24 kidnapped migrants Posted: 06 Jul 2019 09:22 AM PDT  Mexican authorities on Friday rescued 24 Central American migrants, including nine children, who had been held hostage for nearly three weeks in the crime-ridden state of Guanajuato, officials said. The migrants were held for 20 days in the town of Celaya, about 210 kilometres (130 miles) from Mexico City, said Secretary of State Security Juan Jose Gonzalez. Separately, the security ministry announced the arrest of 59 migrants, including 55 Hondurans, around the northeastern town of Saltillo, near the US border.
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| Alaska sees record temperatures in heatwave Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:52 AM PDT  An "all-time high" temperature record has been set in the US state of Alaska, despite much of the country sitting in the Arctic circle.Temperatures peaked at 32.22 Celsius (90F) on 4 July at an airport in Anchorage, the state's largest city.National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Clay said Anchorage's average high temperature for US Independence Day is 23.89C (75F).Other local records were set across southern Alaska and come after five weeks of above average temperatures.Shawn King, who has lived his entire life in Anchorage, said he had never seen a stretch of similar hot weather. > The 4thofjuly2019 was one for the books. Several ALL-TIME high temperature records were set at official observation sites throughout Southern Alaska. But that's not all...there were more daily temperature records set too! AKwx ItsHotInAlaska pic.twitter.com/GxcdUaD9ld> > — NWS Anchorage (@NWSAnchorage) > > July 5, 2019The 31-year-old used the occasion to take his daughter, Tessa, fishing for the first time on the dock of Jewel Lake.She insisted on going barefoot."It's too hot for shoes," the four-year-old said.While tourists have been caught out after being told to expect cooler temperatures. Judy Zickmund, who arrived in Anchorage on a cruise, said: "We didn't pack clothes for it".Three other Alaska locations, Kenai, Palmer and King Salmon, set or tied all-time high temperature records. However the statewide record of 37.8C (100F), was set at Fort Yukon in the state's north east region over a century ago.Meteorologists say a "heat dome" over the state is responsible for the latest heatwave, and is set to continue for days as the system moves north.Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the University of Alaska said these exceptionally warm weather events will only become more frequent because of the loss of sea ice and warming in the Arctic Ocean."These kinds of extreme weather events become much more likely in a warming world," Thoman said. "Surface temperatures are above normal everywhere around Alaska. The entire Gulf of Alaska, in the Bering Sea, in the Chukchi Sea south of the ice edge, exceptionally warm waters, warmest on record, and of course record-low sea ice extent for this time of year off the north and northwest coasts of the state."
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| UPDATE 1-Venezuela's Amuay and Cardon refineries halted by blackout -sources Posted: 07 Jul 2019 06:39 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Venezuela's Amuay and Cardon refineries halted by blackout -sources]( "UPDATE 1-Venezuela's Amuay and Cardon refineries halted by blackout -sources") Venezuela's Amuay and Cardon refineries are halted following a blackout in the early morning hours, two oil industry sources with knowledge of the issue said on Sunday. The twin refineries together form the 955,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Paraguana Refining Center, which has been operating well below capacity for years because of chronic operational problems that have been aggravated by Venezuela's economic crisis. "Blackout in both refineries," one employee who works in the complex wrote in a text message.
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| California shaken by second earthquake: 7.1-magnitude tremor causes rockslides, fires and fresh damage Posted: 06 Jul 2019 01:12 AM PDT  A quake with a magnitude of 7.1 jolted much of California, cracked buildings, set fires, broke roads and caused several injuries while seismologists warned that large aftershocks were expected to continue. The quake — preceded by Thursday's 6.4-magnitude temblor in the Mojave Desert — was the largest Southern California quake in at least 20 years and was followed by a series of large and small aftershocks, including a few above magnitude 5.0. There is about a 1-in-10 chance that another 7.0 quake could hit within the next week, said Lucy Jones, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology and a former science adviser at the U.S. Geological Survey. The chance of a 5.0-magnitude quake "is approaching certainty," she added. However, the quake was unlikely to affect fault lines outside of the area, Jones said, noting that the gigantic San Andreas Fault was far away. The quake struck at 8:19 p.m. and was centered 11 miles from Ridgecrest in the same areas where the previous quake hit. US Geological Survey 'shake map' Credit: USGS HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX "These earthquakes are related," Jones said, adding that the new quake probably ruptured along about 25 miles of fault line. The quake was felt as far north as Sacramento, as far east as Las Vegas and as far south as Mexico. The area in and around Ridgecrest, already trying to recover from the previous temblor, took the brunt of damage. State Route 178 in Kern County was closed by a rockslide, and video showed a stretch of roadway had sunk. A fire at a mobile home park burnt several trailers. But Kern County Fire Chief David Witt said there had been no immediate reports of building collapses or deaths, although injury reports sent paramedics scrambling. "We know of no fatalities. There have been a lot of ambulance calls for help," Kern County Fire Chief David Witt said at a news conference. "We're launching a lot of people ... I am very confident that we can take care of the situation." San Bernardino County firefighters reported cracked buildings and one minor injury. In downtown Los Angeles, 150 miles away, offices in skyscrapers rolled and rocked for at least 30 seconds. Andrew Lippman, who lives in suburban South Pasadena, was sitting outside and reading the paper when Friday's quake hit. "It just started getting stronger and stronger, and I looked into my house and the lamp started to sway. I could see power lines swaying," he said. "This one seemed 45 (seconds)... I'm still straightening pictures." Gov. Gavin Newsom activated the state Office of Emergency Services operations center "to its highest level." "The state is coordinating mutual aid to local first responders," he said. The aftermath of a rockslide caused by the earthquake in Kern County Credit: LISA WALKER Disneyland in Orange County and Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita closed their rides. An NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas was stopped after the quake. Speakers over the court at the Thomas & Mack Center continued swaying more than 10 minutes after the quake. In Los Angeles, the quake rattled Dodger Stadium in the fourth inning of the team's game against the San Diego Padres. "Everyone was jumping over us to leave," said Daniel Earle, 52, of Playa del Rey, who was sitting with his wife in the stadium's reserve level. "People were freaking out," he said. "There was a concession guy, and he actually was really cool because he was really calm. He's like, 'Relax. Tranquilo. Relax. Tranquilo,' and people were looking around." "My wife was holding us, like squeezing. I'm surprised my arm is still here. She was squeezing into it so hard," Earle said. However, the game continued. Waves in a swimming pool are pictured during the earthquake in Ridgecrest Credit: TWITTER @RYLXAN The quake came as communities in the Mojave Desert tallied damage and made emergency repairs to cracked roads and broken pipes from the earlier quake. Hours earlier, seismologists had said that quake had been followed by more than 1,700 aftershocks and that they might continue for years. Jones said aftershocks from the new main quake could occur for three years. Earlier Friday, Los Angeles had revealed plans to lower slightly the threshold for public alerts from its earthquake early warning app. But officials said the change was in the works before the quake, which gave scientists at the California Institute of Technology's seismology lab 48 seconds of warning but did not trigger a public notification. "Our goal is to alert people who might experience potentially damaging shaking, not just feel the shaking," said Robert de Groot, a spokesman for the USGS's ShakeAlert system, which is being developed for California, Oregon and Washington. The West Coast ShakeAlert system has provided non-public earthquake notifications on a daily basis to many test users, including emergency agencies, industries, transportation systems and schools. Late last year, the city of Los Angeles released a mobile app intended to provide ShakeAlert warnings for users within Los Angeles County. The trigger threshold for LA's app required a magnitude 5 or greater and an estimate of level 4 on the separate Modified Mercali Intensity scale, the level at which there is potentially damaging shaking. A vehicle drives over a patched up crack after the first quake Credit: FREDERIC J BROWN/AFP/Getty Images Although Thursday's quake was well above magnitude 5, the expected shaking for the Los Angeles area was level 3, de Groot said. A revision of the magnitude threshold down to 4.5 was already underway, but the shaking intensity level would remain at 4. The rationale is to avoid numerous ShakeAlerts for small earthquakes that do not affect people. "If people get saturated with these messages, it's going to make people not care as much," he said. Construction of a network of seismic-monitoring stations for the West Coast is just over half complete, with most coverage in Southern California, San Francisco Bay Area and the Seattle-Tacoma area. Eventually, the system will send out alerts over the same system used for Amber Alerts to defined areas that are expected to be affected by a quake, de Groot said. California is partnering with the federal government to build the statewide earthquake warning system, with the goal of turning it on by June 2021. The state has already spent at least $25 million building it, including installing hundreds of seismic stations throughout the state. This year, Newsom said the state needed $16.3 million to finish the project, which included money for stations to monitor seismic activity, plus nearly $7 million for "outreach and education." The state Legislature approved the funding last month, and Newsom signed it into law. Later emergency officials said that the damage had not been as bad as initially feared and power was restored to most of the households that had lost it, however there is still no timeline for when gas and water services will be running in the stricken area.
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| Boeing 737 Max crash: Did foreign pilots have enough training to fly commercial jets? Posted: 07 Jul 2019 02:43 PM PDT  In the U.S., copilots must have a minimum of 1,500 flight hours. Internationally, it's only 240 hours -- and regulators might decrease or scrap that.
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| 2020 Dems' opposition builds against Trump judges Posted: 06 Jul 2019 04:55 AM PDT ![2020 Dems' opposition builds against Trump judges]( "2020 Dems' opposition builds against Trump judges") Exclusive data obtained by POLITICO shows that Senate Democrats are rejecting the president's judicial nominees far more often than during the last Congress.
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| Is China's J-20 Stealth Fighter a Ripoff of Russian Technology? Posted: 06 Jul 2019 06:00 AM PDT  TASS, Russia's leading state news agency, echoed Sputnik in noting that a number of J-20's currently run on the AL-31F engine and that the J-20 shares a distinctive "duck-like" aerodynamic design with the MiG-1.44, but stopped just short of claiming that the Chinese directly consulted the Russian fighter's design in building the J-20.As the Su-57 enters serial production in much larger quantities than previously expected, Moscow is making a concerted effort to pitch the fifth-generation fighter to major arms importers including Turkey, India, and China.Over the past several years, Chinese defense media has been particularly keen on following the Su-57's development; their--mostly positive commentary--has long been taken as one bellwether of Chinese import interest.(This first appeared in June 2019.)But the question is rarely asked in reverse: namely, what does Russia think of China's own J-20 fighter?
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| Williamson warns US elections could become more like Iran's Posted: 05 Jul 2019 07:47 PM PDT ![Williamson warns US elections could become more like Iran's]( "Williamson warns US elections could become more like Iran's") Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson on Friday warned that American elections could become more like voting in countries like Iran. Speaking at a campaign event in Dover, New Hampshire, the author described an "illusion of choice," and criticized the "political media elite establishment. Williamson added: "It's kind of like countries like Iran, where you can vote for whoever you want, among the people that they tell you it's OK to vote for.
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| Bill Gates explains why he couldn’t duplicate Steve Jobs’ magic ‘spells’ Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:04 AM PDT  Bill Gates would like you to know that the reason his late rival was able to resuscitate Apple and take the iPhone maker from near-death to being the most valuable company in the world is that Steve Jobs was so successful at making people believe in an idea. Or, as Gates puts it, that Jobs was so good at "casting spells."You get it, right? It's an uncommonly fantastical metaphor to hear from the Microsoft co-founder, who can get pretty wonky and technical in his description of these kinds of things. But in a segment set to be broadcast on Sunday during the CNN program Fareed Zakaria GPS, that's how Gates will explain why he thinks Steve was able to do what he did and engineer one of the greatest business success stories of all time. And why Gates was able to see through it all, even though he admits couldn't recreate the magic to the same degree."I was like a minor wizard because he would be casting spells, and I would see people mesmerized, but because I'm a minor wizard, the spells don't work on me," Gates said, according to advance news of his remarks reported by Bloomberg.What exactly does Gates mean by casting spells? He brings up Jobs' 1988 launch of the NeXT computer. NeXT soon after gave up on hardware altogether and was bought by Apple less than a decade after that, but even though the computer "completely failed, it was such nonsense, and yet he mesmerized those people."But Gates goes even farther in the description he shares during Sunday's CNN program about the rival with whom he also collaborated on occasion. Gates, who seems to be in something of a reflective, philosophical mood lately during his recent interviews and public remarks, says he's never met anyone as good as Jobs "in terms of picking talent, hyper-motivating that talent, and having a sense of design of, 'Oh, this is good. This is not good.'"It's not a sugar-coated walk down memory lane he shares either, acknowledging that Jobs was sometimes an "asshole." Gates also acknowledges his own tendency toward micromanaging that seems to remain in place to this day -- specifically, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which works to promote healthcare globally and fight poverty. "I'm still clear about, 'Hey, that toilet design's too expensive," Gates says at one point during the segment. "It's a dead end. We're not going to put more money into that."It's interesting to hear Gates looking back on these key players and moments from his life, such as his assertion that Jobs used something beyond technical competency to turn Apple into a powerhouse. Likewise, Gates also recently made headlines by acknowledging what he feels has been his biggest mistake -- the failure to invent Android."It's amazing to me that having made one of the greatest mistakes of all time, and there was this antitrust lawsuit and various things, that our other assets like Windows and Office are still very strong, so we are a leading company," Gates said recently at Village Global. "If we had gotten that one right, we would be the leading company, but oh well."
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| Could the Toyota MR2 Make a Comeback as an EV? Posted: 06 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT  The lightweight mid-engined runabout might return as soon as 2024 to fill a gap in Toyota's sports-car lineup.
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| Pope Francis claims US televangelist performed miracle, paving way for sainthood Posted: 06 Jul 2019 10:40 AM PDT  Pope Francis has declared that a late US television preacher once performed a miracle, moving him one step closer to sainthood.The Vatican announced on Saturday the formal approval of the miracle, thought to relate to claims about a baby's extraordinary recovery in an Illinois hospital.The Diocese of Peoria believes that Archbishop Fulton J Sheen – who died in 1979 – interceded in 2010 on behalf of a baby who began breathing 61 minutes after showing no signs of life at birth.One miracle allows a candidate for sainthood to be beatified in the Catholic faith, but a second miracle must be approved in order for sainthood to be conferred.No date has been given for his beatification ceremony, but the Peoria Diocese said it was beginning preparations for the celebration in the central Illinois city.Archbishop Sheen's on-air evangelism made him a well-known figure in the US over several decades, having started on NBC radio in 1930 with a weekly programme called The Catholic Hour.He expanded to television in 1950 with NBC's Life is Worth Living, regularly amassing more than 30 million viewers.The pope's decision comes just weeks after a New York court ruling allowing the American archbishop's niece to bury him in Peoria, where he was ordained, ending years of litigation and allowing the process for sainthood to resume.Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky said he was grateful the Vatican acted quickly after the transfer of the archbishop's remains, and hopeful Pope Francis will set a date for beatification soon."It is truly amazing how God continues to work miracles," Bishop Jenky said.The diocese conducted a canonical investigation into the 2010 birth at a Peoria hospital and submitted its findings to the Vatican in 2011.The Church teaches that only God performs miracles but that saints who are believed to be with God in heaven intercede on behalf of people who pray to them. A miracle is usually the medically inexplicable healing of a person.Additional reporting by agencies
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| Facebook's Cryptocurrency Plan Draws ECB Warning on Regulation Posted: 07 Jul 2019 02:12 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Financial regulators must act fast to prepare for the push by U.S. tech giants such as Facebook Inc. into the financial system, according to European Central Bank Executive Board member Benoit Coeure."It's out of the question to allow them to develop in a regulatory void for their financial service activities, because it's just too dangerous," Coeure said on Sunday in Aix-en-Provence in southern France. "We have to move more quickly than we've been able to do up until now."Facebook's plan for a digital currency called Libra has policy makers scrambling. The U.K.'s three main financial regulators are working together on how best to respond. Governor Mark Carney has said the Bank of England approaches it "with an open mind but not an open door."The plan has also drawn fire in Washington, with more than 30 groups influential with Democrats demanding a halt to the project to deal with the "profound questions" it raises. David Marcus, the executive leading Facebook's Libra and blockchain efforts, will testify before Congress this month on the initiative.Coeure said that the development of digital currencies is exposing deficiencies in existing regulation and the failure of the banking system to adopt new technology."All these projects are a rather useful wake-up call for regulators and public authorities, as they encourage us to raise a number of questions and might make us improve the way we do things," Coeure said.\--With assistance from Tara Patel.To contact the reporters on this story: Angeline Benoit in Paris at abenoit4@bloomberg.net;James Regan in Paris at jregan65@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net, Patrick Henry, James AmottFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Rattled nerves, minor damage from second major Southern California quake Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:28 PM PDT  Southern California appeared to have avoided the worst on Saturday after it was rocked by a second powerful earthquake in as many days -- a 7.1 magnitude tremor that revived fears of the so-called Big One the region has feared for decades. No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported from this second quake, the largest in Southern California in more than two decades. It hit Friday night in a remote and sparsely populated area around 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, where it was also felt.
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| Nearly 900 drivers suspended in wake of deadly motorcycle crash in New Hampshire Posted: 06 Jul 2019 10:41 AM PDT  The Massachusetts RMV has suspended 876 drivers whose out-of-state infractions hadn't been tracked after a motorcycle crash killed 7 in New Hampshire
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| President Trump responds to Joe Biden calling him the 'bully I knew my whole life' Posted: 06 Jul 2019 08:28 AM PDT  Trump says he is cleaning up Biden and Obama's mess.
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| Oregon state senator faces hearing on 'heavily armed' comment Posted: 05 Jul 2019 06:12 PM PDT ![Oregon state senator faces hearing on 'heavily armed' comment]( "Oregon state senator faces hearing on 'heavily armed' comment") An Oregon state senator who was among Republican lawmakers who fled the Capitol last month to scuttle a vote on a bill to fight climate change faces a conduct hearing over remarks tinged with threats of violence about any efforts to force the senators to return. Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, enlisted the State Police on June 20 to try to bring Republicans back to the Capitol, but ultimately the Democratic-sponsored bill died. By fleeing the Capitol, the Republican senators prevented a vote from being held because, under Senate rules, there were not enough lawmakers present for legislation to be voted on.
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| Justice Department presses for census citizenship question Posted: 06 Jul 2019 03:26 AM PDT  The Justice Department says it will press its search for legal grounds to force the inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 census, hours after President Donald Trump said he is "very seriously" considering an executive order to get the question on the form. Trump said Friday his administration is exploring a number of legal options, but the Justice Department did not say exactly what options remain now that the Supreme Court has barred the question at least temporarily.
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| Sneaky: America's F-22 Stealth Fighter Snuck up on an Iranian F-4 Phantom Posted: 06 Jul 2019 10:00 AM PDT  It was a close call.Back in 2013, Pentagon press secretary George Little said that an Iranian air force F-4 Phantom combat plane attempted to intercept a U.S. MQ-1 Predator drone flying through international airspace near Iran.As we reported back then, one of the two F-4 Phantom jets — in service in Iran since the Shah — came to about 16 miles from the Predator, but broke off pursuit after two American planes escorting the drone broadcast a warning message.It was a close call.The March 2013 episode happened only a few months after a two Sukhoi Su-25 attack planes operated by the Pasdaran (the informal name of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards) attempted to shoot down an American MQ-1 flying a routine surveillance flight in international airspace some 16 miles off Iran.After this attempted interception, the Pentagon decided to escort drones involved in reconnaissance missions with fighter jets: either F-18 Hornets embarked on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, currently in the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of responsibility, or F-22 Raptors like those deployed to Al Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates.
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