| Donald Trump Upstaged at G7 By Foreign Minister of ... Iran Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:50 AM PDT  Jeff J Mitchell/ReutersIt looked like President Donald Trump was set up for a diplomatic ambush at the Group of Seven summit on Sunday when Iran's foreign minister suddenly flew into town.The arrival of the smooth-talking Javad Zarif at the elegant French beach resort of Biarritz, where the leaders of the seven most industrialized democracies are gathered, underscored a key conflict between Trump and the rest about how to deal with Iran's nuclear ambitions. 'Absolute Amateur Hour': Team Trump Mangles Messages to IranLast year, the U.S. pulled out of an agreement that severely limited for several years Iran's production and stockpiling of nuclear fuel and imposed an extensive inspection regime. Trump claimed the accord forged under Barack Obama was a disastrous deal, and he could do better.A senior French diplomat told reporters at the G7 summit in Biarritz that Macron informed Trump over lunch on Saturday that Zarif would be coming, and told the rest of the summit participants at dinner that night. The Trump administration imposed sanctions specifically targeting Zarif earlier this month, but when Trump was asked for a reaction after the the visit became public, his initial comment was, "No comment."Although Trump has said he would be willing to meet with Iran's leaders, they have so far declined, and a tweet from the Iranian foreign ministry stated flatly, "There will be no meetings or negotiations with the American delegation on this trip."Trump has insisted he can force Iran to make more concessions, not only about nukes, but about its missiles and extensive proxy forces outside its borders, most notably Hezbollah, and to that end the U.S. has imposed draconian sanctions crippling the Iranian economy while punishing its trading partners.Germany, France and Britain–all signatories of the Iran deal, and all represented at the G7–have sought desperately to shore up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the agreement is called. They share Trump's view that missiles and proxies are serious issues, but they believe it makes more sense to keep the nuclear agreement that exists rather than throw all the cards up in the air.To try to keep Iran on board, the Europeans have been discussing various mechanisms to try to bypass the American sanctions, but with little success. Meanwhile, step by calculated step, Iran terminates bits of the JCPOA. As Iran-U.S. Tensions Rise, Hezbollah Readies for War With IsraelIn June, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, also at the G7 this weekend, visited Tehran to try to calm the situation, but to no avail. Indeed, holes were blown in a Japanese tanker by mysterious, presumably Iranian, agents at the same time as Abe's visit.It's likely that Zarif's visit to Biarritz is mainly political theater orchestrated by Macron, and there is little hope it will resolve an increasingly dangerous standoff between the U.S. and Iran. Already we have seen attacks on shipping near the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the recent British seizure, then release against U.S. objections, of an Iranian tanker at Gibraltar. Last month, when Iran downed an American drone it claimed was over its territorial waters, Trump gave a green light, then a red one, to a retaliatory attack that would have killed a number of Iranian personnel.Meanwhile, as The Daily Beast has reported, Iran's clients in Lebanon and Syria, the Hezbollah militias, are preparing for war with Israel as part of a wider conflagration, and Israel is attacking Iranian installations in Iraq as well as Syria.What Zarif's visit to the G7 summit might do is calm the situation and buy some time.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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| UPDATE 1-Russia finds radioactive isotopes in test samples after accident Posted: 26 Aug 2019 01:07 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Russia finds radioactive isotopes in test samples after accident]( "UPDATE 1-Russia finds radioactive isotopes in test samples after accident") Russia's state weather agency said on Monday it had found the radioactive isotopes of strontium, barium and lanthanum in test samples after a mysterious accident during a test at a military site earlier this month. The deadly accident on Aug. 8 caused a brief rise in radiation levels in the nearby city of Severodvinsk. President Vladimir Putin later said the mishap occurred during testing of what he called promising new weapons systems.
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| Man found with mummified remains called dangerous to society Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:11 PM PDT  Prosecutors called a New Jersey man "dangerous to society" after pieces of a human body were found in his closet, including a head, part of an arm, and a torso dressed in a necktie and suit jacket. Robert Williams, of Newark, pleaded not guilty Monday to desecrating human remains and separate charges of child sexual abuse. Police initially went to Williams' home to investigate allegations he abused a 12- to 13-year-old boy over several months, but when they searched the apartment they found an altar and mummified human remains that had apparently been used in religious ceremonies, according to prosecutors.
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| Brazil's Bolsonaro endorses sexist post about French first lady Posted: 26 Aug 2019 03:37 AM PDT  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro endorsed a sexist Facebook post about France's first lady Brigitte Macron Sunday, the latest chapter in an escalating war of words between him and his French counterpart over the Amazon crisis. Emmanuel Macron had called for emergency talks by G7 nations on the fires destroying chunks of the Amazon rainforest, piling pressure on Bolsonaro, who in turn accused him of having a "colonialist mentality".
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| Survey shows growing number of Millennials starting to care less about traditional American values Posted: 26 Aug 2019 12:19 PM PDT  Over the last 21 years, the Wall Street Journal/NBC News conducted a survey asking millennials the importance of religion, patriotism and family.
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| These Luxury Watches Are Trending Now Posted: 26 Aug 2019 05:00 AM PDT |
| Prince Andrew took a flight on Epstein private jet with Russian model Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:39 AM PDT  In 1999, prince and Anna Malova were among nine people on previously undisclosed flight from the US Virgin Islands to FloridaPrince Andrew in 2013. Photograph: Koji Sasahara/APPrince Andrew took a previously undisclosed flight on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet with a group that included a Russian model.Andrew and Anna Malova, then 27, were among nine people on Epstein's plane for a trip from the US Virgin Islands to Florida in February 1999, according to flight logs.Malova was later jailed in the US for failing to comply with a court-ordered programme relating to her use of prescription painkillers.The discovery of the flight added to pressure on Andrew over his friendship with Epstein, who this month was found dead at 66 in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. The city medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.Andrew has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. He said in a statement on Saturday that he did not "see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort" that led to Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from an underage girl. The prince said it was a mistake to have continued seeing Epstein after that.The February 1999 flight, first reported by the Sunday Times, was recorded in logs kept by Epstein's pilots that were filed to a US court by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has alleged she was used as a sex slave by Epstein.The flight log was among almost 2,000 pages of records released by a federal judge in New York this month. It was missing from the notorious 73 pages of previously released Epstein flight logs, some of which also named Andrew as a passenger.The group flew from St Thomas, the airport closest to Epstein's private island, Little St James, to Palm Beach in Florida, where Epstein had a mansion. The disgraced money manager is accused of abusing underage girls at both properties and other sites.There is no suggestion Malova or Andrew were involved in any wrongdoing during the trip.They and Epstein were joined on the flight by others including Epstein's close friend Ghislaine Maxwell, a daughter of the late financier Robert Maxwell who has been accused by several victims of assisting Epstein's abuse of girls. Maxwell denies this.Also present was Gwendolyn Beck, a former financial industry executive and friend of Epstein, who made a failed run for Congress in Virginia in 2014. Epstein donated more than $12,000 to Beck's campaign.Malova did not respond to an email. A former Miss Russia, she moved to the US and made it to the final of the 1998 Miss Universe beauty pageant, which was then owned by Donald Trump – another former friend of Epstein.In 2010 she was accused of forging a prescription for Vicodin from a stolen doctor's pad. She was jailed in May 2011 after repeatedly arriving late for a court-mandated drug programme. She denied all the charges against her.Last week it was alleged that Andrew was once seen receiving a foot massage from "two young well-dressed Russian women" at Epstein's home in Manhattan. The claim was made in an email by the literary agent John Brockman, another former Epstein associate.Last week also saw the release of video of Andrew at Epstein's New York City home in 2010.
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| Mass shootings are a call to arms for some black Americans, not a moment for gun control Posted: 26 Aug 2019 04:00 AM PDT  Black gun rights advocates say limiting access would make them more vulnerable to racist attacks, especially in the absence of real problem solving.
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| White House insists Trump has authority to block American companies from doing business in China Posted: 25 Aug 2019 10:24 AM PDT  White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow asserted President Trump's threat to block trade between private Americans businesses and China, saying he has "emergency economic power authority" to do so.
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| Eggs from last northern white rhinos fertilized, scientists say Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:51 AM PDT  Seven eggs from the world's last two remaining northern white rhinos have been successfully fertilized artificially, reviving hopes of saving the endangered animals, scientists said on Monday. The world's last male northern white rhinoceros, a 45-year-old named Sudan, died last year in Kenya, leaving only the two surviving female members of the species. Najin and Fatu are Sudan's daughter and grand-daughter and the three animals lived together at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, about 250km (155 miles) north of Nairobi, where Sudan died.
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| Iran says oil on tanker pursued by US sold; buyer unnamed Posted: 26 Aug 2019 09:47 AM PDT  Iran on Monday announced that the 2.1 million barrels of crude aboard an Iranian oil tanker pursued by the U.S. has been sold to an unnamed buyer as the ship, at the center of a crisis roiling the region, continued its voyage in the Mediterranean Sea. The announcement by government spokesman Ali Rabiei represent just the latest twist in the saga of the Adrian Darya 1, which had been known as the Grace 1 when authorities seized the vessel off Gibraltar on July 4, on suspicion of breaking European Union sanctions targeting Syria. The seizure of the ship, and Iran's subsequent seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker, came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran over the collapse of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.
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| Sidney Rittenberg, former American advisor to Mao, dies at age 98 Posted: 26 Aug 2019 09:40 AM PDT  Sidney Rittenberg, a former American advisor to Mao Tse-tung who spent long spells in prison as he fell in and out of favor with China's communist leaders, has died in the state of Arizona, the New York Times reported. The rebellious son of a prominent family from Charleston, South Carolina, Rittenberg arrived in China as a US army linguist at the end of World War II, and was soon swept up in the country's epochal civil war and communist revolution. Hiking 46 days to reach Mao's mountain redoubt, he served as an interpreter and traveled with the red army.
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| Amazon fires: Brazil sends warplanes to dump water on devastating blaze after international outcry Posted: 26 Aug 2019 04:31 AM PDT  Brazil's warplanes are dumping water on fires across the Amazon, as Jair Bolsonaro's government scrambles to contain the damage following an international outcry.A video posted by Brazil's Defence Ministry on Saturday evening showed a military plane pumping thousands of litres of water as it passed through clouds of smoke close to a forest canopy in Rondonia state.
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| 7 dead, including 2 children, after a plane collided with a helicopter midair over the popular Spanish tourist island of Mallorca Posted: 25 Aug 2019 10:59 PM PDT  Local media said two Spanish nationals were aboard the small aircraft, while an Italian pilot and a German family were aboard the helicopter. There were no survivors.
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| Rudy Giuliani Jumps on the Seth Rich Conspiracy Bandwagon Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:51 AM PDT  Alex Wong/GettyDonald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani promoted discredited conspiracy theories about murdered Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich on Twitter early Monday morning, further fueling the baseless speculation that has anguished Rich's grieving family.Giuliani quote-tweeted a tweet from conspiracy theorist Matt Couch, whose fevered claims about Rich's 2016 murder provoked a defamation lawsuit from Rich's brother. In his tweet, Couch pointed out that, while Washington, D.C. police believe that Rich was murdered in a currently unsolved botched robbery attempt, none of his belongings appear to have been taken by his killer.Speaking rhetorically from Rich's point of view, Couch pointed to popular conspiracy theorist talking points about Rich's murder."I was Shot multiple times in torso.. I worked for the DNC…." Couch tweeted. "They called it a botched robbery and sue anyone who investigates it..Who am I?""I'd like to know," Giuliani added in his own tweet. Rich's July 2016 murder has inspired a number of conspiracy theories claiming that he leaked Democratic emails to WikiLeaks, and then was murdered by Hillary Clinton or the "deep state" in retaliation. That idea, which isn't backed up by any evidence, has been embraced by some Trump supporters—including Fox News host Sean Hannity—because it would mean the emails were released by a whistleblower, rather than by Russian government hackers. In reality, Rich's neighborhood had experienced a series of robberies in the lead-up to his death, which led police to believe it was likely a botched robbery.Hannity Weasels Out of Seth Rich ConspiracyIn text messages with The Daily Beast, Giuliani insisted his tweet wasn't meant to promote any conspiracy theories but merely to ask questions about Rich's murder, which has remained unsolved. "I didn't support any conspiracy theory," Giuliani told The Daily Beast in a text message. "I raised several nagging coincidences." "I vaguely remember it and was asking a question about whether it was ever investigated fully," Giuliani added. "Don't remember if it was ever solved? Was it." After this article was published, Giuliani doubled down on his speculation and accused The Daily Beast of lacking "proper seductive reasoning." "Either you haven't been trained in proper seductive [sic] reasoning or the most truthful explanation is irrelevant," Giuliani wrote in a text message.Giuliani added that the media reaction to the conspiracy theorists made him more suspicious about the case."Another new area of suspicion beyond a possible murder of convenience is the overreaction you all have to anyone raising any question about this unsolved murder," Giuliani wrote. "'Me thinks the Lady Protests too Much?'"Rich's family has repeatedly asked conspiracy theorists to stop speculating about their son's murder, which has drawn in a number of publicity-seeking right-wing media figures. But in text messages to The Daily Beast, Giuliani said "legitimate questions" about Rich's murder shouldn't be off-limits because of "some degree of emotional pain." "It is tragic for the family but if we stopped all honicide [sic] investigations until solved because it will cause pain then it would leave many unsolved," Giuliani wrote. "There are legitimate questions here and the more they are suppressed with this media Hillary/oriented censorship the more the conspiracy theorists thrive." Giuliani, a former U.S. Attorney, said he wanted to look at the "parties with the greatest motivation.""I've done a number of very complex investigation [sic] and you must always look at the parties or parties with the greatest motivation and the most to gain or lose," Giuliani wrote. "Until a murder is conclusively solved that is always a viable hypothesis. Political censorship or even some degree of emotional pain can not suppress trying to solve an open homicide."Rich's family has repeatedly asked conspiracy theorists to stop speculating about their son's murder, which has drawn in a number of publicity-seeking right-wing media figures. Couch, who livestreams his conspiracy theory broadcasts to his fans online, is one of the most dedicated promoters of the Rich claims, despite reports that Russian intelligence agents spread the rumor that Rich's murder was somehow tied to the Democratic email releases.In 2018, Couch was sued for defamation by Rich's brother Aaron Rich, over his claims that Seth had helped to steal Democratic emails and received payment from WikiLeaks for the files. Earlier this month, Couch told a federal judge that he couldn't afford legal defense to continue fighting the case, and said he had removed mentions of Rich from his website.This story has been updated with Giuliani's responses following its publication.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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| 7 escape injury in fiery plane crash at California airport Posted: 26 Aug 2019 10:06 AM PDT  Seven people escaped unhurt when a large transport plane they were on crash-landed and caught fire at Southern California's Santa Barbara Airport, authorities said. The crew declared an emergency and diverted to Santa Barbara, where it landed on its belly and skidded along a runway, the FAA said. Firefighters sprayed the aircraft with foam to douse the flames sparked in the crash.
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| We need an active, robust Republican primary with choices that aren't Donald Trump Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:00 AM PDT  The presidency hasn't changed Trump, he is changing the presidency. I hope he gets more primary challengers. Give Republicans a chance to reject him.
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| 65 Super Simple Last-Minute Appetizers Posted: 26 Aug 2019 01:54 PM PDT |
| Exclusive: Iran says it will not negotiate missile work, wants to export more oil Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:47 AM PDT  Iran wants to export a minimum of 700,000 barrels per day of its oil and ideally up to 1.5 million bpd if the West wants to negotiate with Tehran to save a 2015 nuclear deal, two Iranian officials and one diplomat told Reuters on Sunday. A second official said "Iran's ballistic missile programme cannot and will not be negotiated.
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| Saudi intercepts six Yemen rebel missiles: coalition Posted: 25 Aug 2019 01:23 PM PDT  Saudi Arabia intercepted six missiles fired by Yemeni rebels at the southern city of Jizan on Sunday, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, as the insurgents escalate cross-border attacks. The missiles fired by the Iran-aligned Huthis targeted civilians in Jizan, the coalition said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. The rebels' Al-Masirah television said the Huthis had launched 10 "Badr 1" ballistic missiles targeting military aircraft and apache helicopters in Jizan airport and nearby military sites.
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| California parents charged with hate crime after allegedly assaulting boy found in daughter's closet Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:02 AM PDT  According to San Bruno Police the 15-year-old's biological dad Luisandor Suarez, her mom Haydee Arguello and step-dad Wilfredo Amaya physically abused a 17-year-old African American boy for 30 minutes and threaten to kill him with a deadly weapon after finding him in his daughter's closet.
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| Malaysia hopes to pay for military equipment with palm oil Posted: 26 Aug 2019 04:18 AM PDT  Malaysia is in talks with at last six countries on the possibility of using palm oil to pay for arms, as Southeast Asia's third-biggest economy seeks to replace old equipment to boost its defence capabilities. Malaysia has struggled to update its defence equipment over the years and a cut in its defence budget this year all but derailed efforts to replace navy ships, some of which have been in service for 35 years or more. Costs have been a big hurdle but using palm oil to help pay for equipment could open new avenues to upgrade, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu said on Monday.
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| Cardi B might be one of Bernie's most powerful 2020 allies. Seriously. Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:01 AM PDT  "She's a no-B.S. person," says one aide to the Democratic hopeful. "And Bernie Sanders loves no-B.S. people."
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| Troubling rise of gun violence in St. Louis, Kansas City Posted: 26 Aug 2019 01:58 PM PDT  From huge rewards to calls for allowing Missouri cities to enact their own gun laws, leaders in St. Louis and Kansas City are grappling with a troubling rise in shooting deaths, especially those involving children. In Kansas City, four men were killed Sunday, including two in a drive-by shooting in a popular entertainment district. In St. Louis, six people were killed in shootings, including 8-year-old and 10-year-old girls and a 15-year-old boy.
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| Red Summer 1919: Tree memorializing black Americans killed in Elaine, Arkansas, cut down Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:35 AM PDT ![Red Summer 1919: Tree memorializing black Americans killed in Elaine, Arkansas, cut down]( "Red Summer 1919: Tree memorializing black Americans killed in Elaine, Arkansas, cut down") A tree memorializing the African American lives lost in a 1919 massacre in Elaine, Arkansas, was chopped down this week in a possible hate crime.
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| Former Staffers Urge Gillibrand to End ‘Performative and Obnoxious’ Presidential Campaign Posted: 26 Aug 2019 06:23 AM PDT  Two of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's former staffers are urging the New York Democrat to discontinue her 2020 presidential campaign rather than continue fighting to qualify for the next Democrat primary debate."It would be best if she decided that this was not her time," one longtime Gillibrand fundraiser told the New York Post. "Most people that I talk to are very happy with her as their senator and don't want her to give up her Senate seat and don't see any realistic traction for her."Gillibrand, who has yet to breach one percent in major national polls, is working to secure the 130,000 individual donations required to appear on the debate stage next month in Houston — an appearance that one former staffer believes will only serve to harm her future political career."I don't know that anyone even wants to see her on the debate stage. Everyone I have talked to finds her performative and obnoxious," a former senior staffer in Gillibrand's Senate office told the Post."She comes across as an opportunist to the public. I think that's the biggest problem," said the staffer, noting Gillibrand's reversal on gun rights and immigration restrictionism, causes she championed as a member of the House representing a rural upstate New York district but later abandoned when she ran for the upper chamber. "I think she'll have to seriously evaluate her campaign and her candidacy if she doesn't make this debate."Gillibrand has received roughly 115,000 individual donations, which places her behind upstart candidate Marianne Williamson, a self-help author with no political experience who has already surpassed the threshold required to qualify for the next debate.
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| A Giant Raft of Volcanic Rock From an Underwater Eruption Could Help Revive the Great Barrier Reef Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:38 AM PDT  Chunks of rock from an underwater volcano are carrying living organisms
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| Iran president makes case for talks as G7 gambit slammed Posted: 26 Aug 2019 04:08 AM PDT  Iran's President Hassan Rouhani came out strongly in favour of talks Monday as his top diplomat came under fire from ultra-conservative media for a surprise visit to a G7 summit. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif flew in to the French seaside resort of Biarritz on Sunday for meetings on the sidelines of the G7 gathering. "I believe that for our country's national interests we must use any tool," Rouhani said in a speech aired live on state television.
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| Seven people shot at two-year-old’s birthday party in Washington DC suburb Posted: 25 Aug 2019 12:03 PM PDT  Seven people have been left hospitalised after a shooting at a two-year-old's birthday party in a suburb of Washington DC.Police believe the incident, which took place on Saturday at around 9pm local time (1am GMT), may have been sparked by an "exchange of words" between party-goers and a bystander who had approached the group.
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| Possible political motive seen in Berlin killing of ethnic Chechen exile Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:43 AM PDT ![Possible political motive seen in Berlin killing of ethnic Chechen exile]( "Possible political motive seen in Berlin killing of ethnic Chechen exile") Prosecutors are considering the possibility of a political motive behind the killing on Friday of an ethnic Chechen exile in Berlin, allegedly by a Russian citizen who shot the victim twice in the head as he walked through a park. The victim, 40, was identified by Georgian human rights organisation EMC as Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, which described him as an ethnic Chechen citizen of Georgia, who had fought on the side of rebels who in the 1990s sought to free Chechnya from Moscow's control. "We have no evidence pointing towards a classic criminal motive," said Martin Steltner, spokesman for Berlin prosecutors on Monday, adding that they were considering the possibility of a political motive for the killing.
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| A person reportedly died and 320 passengers and crew had to be evacuated after a cruise ship in Russia caught on fire Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:10 AM PDT  The ship was reportedly docked in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday when the fire began in the cabin of one of the ship's mechanics, Fontanka reported.
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| Candidate who wanted city as white 'as possible' ends run Posted: 26 Aug 2019 01:59 PM PDT ![Candidate who wanted city as white 'as possible' ends run]( "Candidate who wanted city as white 'as possible' ends run") A city council candidate in Michigan who said last week that she wants to keep her community white "as much as possible" withdrew from the council race on Monday. Jean Cramer stopped by Marysville City Hall to say she was leaving the race and later, at the request of city officials, put her withdrawal in writing in a one-sentence letter that did not give a reason for why she dropped out, the Times Herald in Port Huron reported. Her name will remain on the Nov. 5 election ballot. "Just checking the calendar here and making sure it's still 2019," Mike Deising said.
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| Driver kicks pregnant woman in stomach during fight at Chick-fil-A, police say Posted: 25 Aug 2019 01:23 PM PDT ![Driver kicks pregnant woman in stomach during fight at Chick-fil-A, police say]( "Driver kicks pregnant woman in stomach during fight at Chick-fil-A, police say") The pregnant woman tried to pull in front of her in the drive-thru lane, police said.
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| Trump’s Offer to Help N.Y. With Subway Baffles Governor's Office Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:52 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he is ready to help New York extend the Second Avenue subway in New York City, an announcement that left even state Governor Andrew Cuomo baffled."Looking forward to helping New York City and Governor @andrewcuomo complete the long anticipated, and partially built, Second Avenue Subway," President Donald Trump said in a tweet.Cuomo's office on Saturday said that while the governor is involved in discussions with the president and the Department of Transportation about several infrastructure projects in the city, including the Gateway Tunnel project, the subway and updates at LaGuardia Airport, there have been no concrete steps taken to move forward."The president's tweet suggests good news but we have no specific funding or approval and that is all that is relevant," Communications Director Dani Lever said in a statement. "If an agreement actually materializes, we will provide an update."The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to extend the subway line from East 96th Street to 125th Street in east Harlem, and add three underground stations. The line, debated for decades, began service in January 2017.(Removes incorrect reference to length of subway extension in last paragraph of story published Aug. 24.)To contact the reporters on this story: Jim Silver in New York at jsilver@bloomberg.net;Daniel Flatley in Washington at dflatley1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Sebastian Tong at stong41@bloomberg.net, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Lebanese defiant after drone strikes, Israelis near border unfazed Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:52 AM PDT ![Lebanese defiant after drone strikes, Israelis near border unfazed]( "Lebanese defiant after drone strikes, Israelis near border unfazed") BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Lebanese farmers and residents of Beirut suburbs hit by drones at the weekend vowed on Monday to stand their ground in the event of any Israeli attack, amid heightened tensions between the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and Israel. Two drones crashed on Sunday in Beirut's southern suburbs, which are dominated by the heavily armed Hezbollah, prompting the group to warn Israeli soldiers at the border to await a response. President Michel Aoun on Monday likened the drone strikes to "a declaration of war".
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| 5 years after murders, man accused of killing Spring family execution-style goes to trial Posted: 26 Aug 2019 11:54 AM PDT  Investigators say Ronald Haskell, Jr. tied the Stay family up and shot them all because he was angry about his recent divorce.
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| Syria soldiers eye Turkish outpost in recaptured town Posted: 25 Aug 2019 07:42 PM PDT  Syrian soldier Ahmad Amuri rolls up on a motorbike to hand water bottles to comrades standing guard under pistachio trees, just a few dozen metres from a Turkish observation point in northwest Syria. President Bashar al-Assad's troops seized the town of Morek from jihadists and allied rebels on Friday, encircling the Turkish outpost. "Calm has returned to Morek," Amuri told AFP on Saturday, with water bottles in a black plastic bag, a cap on his head and his uniform covered in dust.
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| Teachers union has become an arm of the abortion-rights left. Conservatives should quit. Posted: 26 Aug 2019 01:59 PM PDT  Why would the NEA go out of its way to take extreme stands on hot-button issues so far removed from the real problems facing our nation's schools?
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| NRA’s Former Ad Firm Slaps Wayne LaPierre With Subpoena Posted: 26 Aug 2019 12:18 PM PDT  Lucas Jackson/ReutersThe National Rifle Association's former ad firm has subpoenaed the gun group's chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, for a deposition, according to a court document reviewed by The Daily Beast. Lawyers for the NRA, who filed the document in Virginia Circuit Court on Aug. 21, are seeking to postpone LaPierre's interview. LaPierre isn't the only senior NRA official who faces a grilling from ad firm Ackerman McQueen. According to the filing, the ad firm also wants to question the gun group's top spokesperson, Andrew Arulanandam; Millie Hallow, assistant to the executive vice president; and the NRA's chief financial officer, Craig Spray. NRA Spent Tens of Thousands on Hair and Makeup for CEO's WifeIt's the latest episode of an ongoing legal brawl between the powerful but troubled gun-rights group and the ad firm that helped it sally forth into America's culture wars. For more than three decades, there was no daylight between the two entities that was visible to outsiders. But last April, the NRA sued the firm, and within weeks, the two had parted ways. Ackerman then counter-sued the NRA, and now both entities are seeking tens of millions of dollars from the other. The NRA's filing says that the ad firm has refused to hand over materials responsive to its own document demands because of the NRA's outside law firm, Brewer Attorneys and Counselors. Ackerman has argued that Brewer's firm tried to steal its business from the NRA and has asked the judge presiding over the case to limit Brewer's access to material it shares with the NRA. Wayne LaPierre Promised Job Security, Then Ousted an NRA Top GunThe NRA's filing argues that as long as Ackerman McQueen withholds materials, LaPierre and the other gun-group chiefs shouldn't have to be deposed. LaPierre's deposition is currently scheduled for Sep. 4, according to the filings. It isn't LaPierre's only scheduled Q-and-A session. According to the New York Daily News, the New York Attorney General's Office has also subpoenaed LaPierre as part of its investigation of the gun group. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| ‘Let’s integrate these citizens’: Amazon tribe’s survival threatened by Bolsonaro’s construction plans Posted: 25 Aug 2019 11:57 PM PDT  Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro campaigned on promises to bring development to the Amazon.The centrepiece of his project? Hydroelectric dams that would turn the Amazon's gushing rivers into cheap and reliable energy.
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| Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson says Russia denied him a visa Posted: 26 Aug 2019 03:03 PM PDT  A U.S. senator from Wisconsin who has publicly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russia has denied him a visa to visit as part of a congressional delegation. Ron Johnson said he had planned to speak with government officials, American businesses and others during his trip. The Republican is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation.
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| Four face charges in deaths of 12 Florida nursing home patients following Hurricane Irma Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:08 PM PDT  A dozen patients died at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills when the facility's air conditioning power went out amid sweltering heat.
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| View Photos of the 2020 Subaru Legacy Posted: 26 Aug 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| China says wants 'calm' resolution to U.S. trade war Posted: 25 Aug 2019 08:00 PM PDT  China is willing to resolve its trade dispute with the United States through "calm" negotiations and resolutely opposes the escalation of the conflict, Vice Premier Liu He, who has been leading the talks with Washington, said on Monday. The increasingly bitter trade war between the world's two largest economies sharply escalated on Friday, with both sides levelling more tariffs on each other's exports. U.S. President Donald Trump announced an additional duty on some $550 billion of targeted Chinese goods on Friday, hours after China unveiled retaliatory tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. goods.
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| Two Children Were Left Alone For Eight Days After ICE Arrested Their Parents During Mississippi Raids Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:45 PM PDT  Two children were left alone for eight days after both their parents were arrested by ICE during sweeping workplace raids in Mississippi.
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| Russian climber killed by falling rock at Mt Fuji Posted: 26 Aug 2019 06:14 AM PDT  A Russian national climbing Mount Fuji was killed by a falling rock near the summit of Japan's highest peak, police and news reports said Monday. Police said a woman in her 20s was fatally injured in the morning while approaching the top of the 3,776-metre (12,388-foot) volcanic mountain. "Rescuers and a doctor rushed to the site but she was later confirmed dead," a local police official told AFP.
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| Japan's Tepco may mothball reactors at world's biggest nuke plant Posted: 25 Aug 2019 10:43 PM PDT ![Japan's Tepco may mothball reactors at world's biggest nuke plant]( "Japan's Tepco may mothball reactors at world's biggest nuke plant") Tokyo Electric Power said on Monday it may start to decommission at least one nuclear reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant, the world's biggest nuclear plant by capacity, within five years of restarting two of the reactors at the site. Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) President Tomoaki Kobayakawa made the decommissioning comments in a statement outlining its response to a request for plans on the station's future by the government of the city of Kashiwazaki in Niigata prefecture, where the plant is located. In 2017, Tepco received initial regulatory approval from the Japanese government to restart the No. 6 and No. 7 reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, each with a capacity of 1,356 megawatts (MW).
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