| It looks like Trump and Giuliani's efforts to intimidate and bully the former Ukrainian ambassador went much further than publicly known Posted: 04 Nov 2019 03:37 PM PST  The transcript shows that Trump and Rudy Giuliani's efforts to intimidate and bully Marie Yovanovitch went much further than previously known.
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| Turkey captures sister of dead IS leader in Syria: Turkish official Posted: 04 Nov 2019 03:06 PM PST ![Turkey captures sister of dead IS leader in Syria: Turkish official]( "Turkey captures sister of dead IS leader in Syria: Turkish official") Turkey captured the sister of dead Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Monday in the northern Syrian town of Azaz, a senior Turkish official told Reuters, and is interrogating her husband and daughter-in-law who were also detained. Rasmiya Awad, 65, was detained in a raid near Azaz, the official said, referring to a Turkish-controlled Syrian town near the border. "We hope to gather a trove of intelligence from Baghdadi's sister on the inner workings of ISIS," the official said.
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| A woman was impaled by a metal pole while riding in the passenger seat of a car, but somehow miraculously survived Posted: 04 Nov 2019 04:39 PM PST  A large piece of metal fell off the back of a big rig truck and burst through the woman's car, piercing her leg and pinning her to her seat.
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| Brazil's Bolsonaro says 'worst is yet to come' on oil spill Posted: 03 Nov 2019 06:59 PM PST  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Sunday that "the worst is yet to come" with an oil spill that has affected more than 200 beaches on the country's coast. "What came so far and what was collected is a small amount of what was spilled," Bolsonaro said in an interview with Record television. Oil slicks have been appearing for three months off the coast of northeast Brazil and fouling beaches along a 2,000 kilometer (1,250 mile) area of Brazil's most celebrated shoreline.
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| Assistant scoutmaster charged with sexually abusing boy, 12 Posted: 04 Nov 2019 02:15 PM PST  An assistant scoutmaster on Long Island has been charged with sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy at several Boy Scouts of America retreats and meetings. Nassau County police arrested 26-year-old Jonathan Spohrer at his home in North Bellmore on Thursday after an extensive investigation, the department said. Police said Spohrer abused the boy during Boy Scouts retreats at several locations in New York state from January through November of 2018.
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| Fox News guest sneaks in Epstein conspiracy theory during unrelated interview about military dogs Posted: 04 Nov 2019 01:35 AM PST  A former US Navy SEAL appeared to surprise a Fox News host by suddenly voicing a conspiracy theory about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a segment about military dogs.Mike Ritland was invited on Jesse Watters' show to discuss the dog who helped US troops in a raid to kill Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last week.
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| China is reportedly sending men to sleep in the same beds as Uighur Muslim women Posted: 04 Nov 2019 10:01 AM PST  Chinese men assigned to monitor the homes of Uighur women whose husbands are in prison camps frequently sleep in the same bed with the women, Radio Free Asia reported last week.
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| Here's the Real 2020 Ford Bronco in Off-Road-Racing Form Posted: 04 Nov 2019 11:30 AM PST  The production Bronco takes shape—and if the real thing looks half as cool as this SEMA-bound prototype, we'll be satisfied.
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| Every Mid-Engined Sports Car—Including a Few You Might Afford! Posted: 04 Nov 2019 11:00 AM PST |
| Lev Parnas Changes Course, Now Willing to Comply with Impeachment Probe Posted: 04 Nov 2019 02:30 PM PST  Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani who was arrested last month on charges of violating campaign-finance law and has emerged as a central player in the events that led the House to open a presidential-impeachment inquiry, has changed course and will now comply with the inquiry, according to his lawyer."We will honor and not avoid the committee's requests to the extent they are legally proper, while scrupulously protecting Mr. Parnas' privileges including that of the Fifth Amendment," Parnas's lawyer Joseph Bondy told Reuters.Parnas was subpoenaed by the House on the same day that he and his business partner, Igor Fruman, were charged with illegally disguising donations to Republican candidates "for the purpose of gaining influence with politicians so as to advance their own personal financial interests and the political interests of Ukrainian government officials." Their deadline to comply was set for October 16, which passed with neither testifying.Parnas's reversal comes the same day of the release of the House testimony of Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. Ambassador to the Ukraine, who complied with a subpoena and testified on October 11, a day after Parnas and Fruman were arrested. In her testimony, Yovanovitch alleges that the two men, in coordination with Giuliani, were key forces behind her eventual ouster."There were two individuals from Florida, Mr. Parnas and Mr Fruman, who were working with Mayor Giuliani, and that they had set up the meetings for Mr. Giuliani with [former Ukrainian prosecutor] Mr. Lutsenko," Yovanovitch said. "And that they were interested in having a different ambassador at post, I guess for — because they wanted to have business dealings in Ukraine, or additional business dealings."
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| U.S. targets Iranian top leader's inner circle with new sanctions Posted: 04 Nov 2019 08:45 AM PST  The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on nine people close to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, including his chief of staff, one of his sons and the head of the judiciary. Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Iran's seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, the U.S. Treasury Department said it also was blacklisting Iran's Armed Forces General Staff. "Today the Treasury Department is targeting the unelected officials who surround Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and implement his destabilizing policies," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
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| Persons of interest identified in deaths of New Hampshire couple found buried on Texas beach Posted: 04 Nov 2019 11:05 AM PST  Bodies of the New Hampshire couple were found buried on a South Texas beach. Police said persons of interest have
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| The Latest: Supreme Court denies stay in SD execution Posted: 04 Nov 2019 04:41 PM PST  The execution of a South Dakota man will proceed Monday night after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected three appeals to delay his execution. Charles Russell Rhines was supposed to be executed at 1:30 p.m. on Monday for the slaying of 22-year-old Donnivan Schaeffer at a Rapid City doughnut shop. The Department of Corrections said they would begin moving forward with the execution at the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls.
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| Trump impeachment: Fired Ukraine envoy claims she was told to tweet praise of president to save her job Posted: 04 Nov 2019 10:48 AM PST  Marie Yovanovitch, who was abruptly fired as US ambassador to Ukraine after clashing with Donald Trump's personal lawyer, claimed she was told to tweet praise of the president help her keep her job.The House committees leading the impeachment inquiry against Mr Trump have released a full transcript of the evidence she gave to them behind closed doors on 11 October.
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| Five wounded as knife attack caps day of Hong Kong political chaos Posted: 03 Nov 2019 07:48 AM PST  A man went on a knife rampage in Hong Kong late Sunday leaving at least five people wounded, including a local pro-democracy politician who had his ear bitten off, capping another chaotic day of political unrest in the city. The violence was less sustained than Saturday when police and protesters fought hours of cat and mouse battles after thousands took the streets for an unsanctioned march. Live footage showed Andrew Chiu, a local pro-democracy councillor, having his ear bitten off after trying to subdue the attacker, while a second man was seen unconscious in a growing pool of blood as bystanders desperately tried to stem wounds to his back.
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| Confirmed: China Still Insists It Won't Use Nuclear Weapons First in a War Posted: 04 Nov 2019 11:00 AM PST  A good thing too.
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| California fires, rising seas: Millions of climate refugees will dwarf Dust Bowl by 2100 Posted: 04 Nov 2019 07:38 AM PST  An environmental crisis in the early 1900s created 'Dust Bowl refugees.' Today's climate crisis is much bigger and will last for decades, not years.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez apologizes for blocking a critic on Twitter and settles a lawsuit charging that she violated the First Amendment Posted: 04 Nov 2019 07:25 AM PST  Former Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind accused AOC of violating the First Amendment by blocking him on Twitter.
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| Spanish king greeted with protests in Catalonia Posted: 04 Nov 2019 09:37 AM PST ![Spanish king greeted with protests in Catalonia]( "Spanish king greeted with protests in Catalonia") Several thousand demonstrators banged on kitchen pots and chanted "Catalonia has no king!" on Monday in protest against a visit by the Spanish royal family to the capital of the region that has been hit by weeks of separatist protests. Attended by King Felipe, his wife Queen Letizia and two daughters, the venue of the Princess of Girona young talent awards ceremony in Barcelona was heavily guarded by police who had installed heavy fences and blocked vans one of the city's main thoroughfares with vans. Some protesters burned pictures of the king.
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| It’s Kentucky Teachers Versus the GOP in Governor’s Race Posted: 04 Nov 2019 07:37 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Last year, thousands of Kentucky teachers staged a walkout and rallied against proposed cuts to their retirement benefits by Republican Governor Matt Bevin and the state's GOP-led legislature. In Tuesday's gubernatorial election, they're getting the chance to fight Bevin head on.The tight race between Bevin and Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear could have big implications in a state with one of the worst-funded public employee retirement systems in the U.S. Kentucky's efforts to rein in a $45 billion pension burden have been complicated by constitutional limits on cuts to benefits and lawmakers' resistance to raising taxes -- tensions that are playing out in statehouses across the country.Bevin, who was elected in 2015, earned the teachers' ire by trying to move them from a traditional pension to a 401(k)-style plan and for criticizing the walkout. He has the support of President Donald Trump, who's tweeted his endorsement and is holding a rally in Lexington Monday night. Beshear says he wants to maintain workers' pensions and favors using revenue from new taxes on gambling and medical marijuana to shore up the system.Teachers have helped lead the charge against Bevin, donning the "Red for Ed" shirts that have become synonymous with teacher strikes across the country and knocking on doors after school. "We're absolutely backing Andy Beshear - the guy who has fought with us and not the guy who has fought us," said Jeni Bolander, a high school teacher who was among those who protested last year.What's at StakeState officials in Kentucky underfunded the pension system for years, leaving a plan for non-hazardous duty employees just 13% funded in 2018, according to its financial report. The state has spent years grappling with the large-and-growing costs: In 2013, the state moved new state workers into a cash-balance plan, which combines elements of traditional pensions and 401(k) plans and determines the value of benefits based on individual accounts, according to the system.But teachers, argues Adam Koenig, a Republican state lawmaker, haven't had to withstand any changes. "They're the only ones that have not taken a haircut," he said.In 2018, Bevin's administration passed a law that would move new teachers into a hybrid plan, which was later ruled unconstitutional because it violated legislative procedures. Beshear, as attorney general, fought the law in court. The teacher's pension is about 57.7% funded, according to its financial report.While moving the teachers into a hybrid plan would likely have cost the state more money in the first decade of implementation, over 20 years, it would have saved the state a total of $65 million per year, according to an independent actuarial analysis legislation."We are one downturn away from literally being hand-to-mouth on our worst-funded plans," said Jerry Miller, a Republican state lawmakerFuture BattlesBeshear has said he wants to use gambling-tax revenue to boost the pension system for teachers and first responders, saying this will include legalizing casinos, sports betting, and capitalizing on fantasy sports.It will "reduce the likelihood that counties must resort to raising local taxes on Kentuckians because of Governor Bevin's failure to create new streams of revenue," he said in a proposal.Efforts to legalize gaming have faltered in the state legislature, said Miller, who introduced a bill to legalize casino gaming last year. He said social conservatives in the legislature tend not to support gaming.Bevin has been quick to remind voters about how he fully funded pension contributions during his tenure, and he has pledged to "move forward to complete the fix of this system.""I think everyone understands now," said Beau Barnes, general counsel for the teachers' pension. "This is an important issue for the commonwealth -- there needs to be full funding for these pension funds."Passing pension legislation wasn't always easy for Bevin, despite his party holding a majority in the state's legislature. A measure providing some agencies the option to exit the state's retirement system was held up in a months-long legislative fight and was only passed in a special legislative session after Bevin vetoed an early version of the bill.And if Beshear won, the GOP would still control the legislature, setting up even more tense fights over pensions."No matter who ends up winning the governor's race, we're still going to have a fight on our hands," Bolander, the teacher, said in a telephone interview.To contact the reporters on this story: Fola Akinnibi in New York at fakinnibi1@bloomberg.net;Amanda Albright in New York at aalbright4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Campbell at ecampbell14@bloomberg.net, Michael B. Marois, William SelwayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| CVS rejects Purdue student's Puerto Rican ID, asks for immigration papers to buy cold medicine Posted: 03 Nov 2019 08:14 AM PST  CVS apologized after a Puerto Rican Purdue student said employees said he needed to show immigration papers to buy cold medicine.
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| US envoy calls EU decision on Balkans 'historic mistake' Posted: 04 Nov 2019 04:18 AM PST  A U.S. envoy for the Western Balkans on Monday described European Union's decision not to open membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania as a "historic mistake" that sends a bad message to the region. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer said the U.S. will do all it can to persuade the EU to reverse the decision before a planned leaders' meeting in May in Croatia. "America wants the Western Balkans to have a European perspective," Palmer said after talks in Belgrade with Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vucic.
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| U.S. Ambassador Was Warned by Ukrainian Official that Parnas, Fruman Wanted to Oust Her Posted: 04 Nov 2019 10:43 AM PST  Former Ambassador to the Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testified that President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, in cooperation with two Florida businessmen with Ukrainian connections, went behind Yovanovitch's back to attempt to replace her with someone more favorably inclined towards their "business dealings in Ukraine," according to a transcript released Monday by the House Intelligence Committee."Well I mean he basically said, and went into some detail, that there were two individuals from Florida, Mr. Parnas and Mr Fruman, who were working with Mayor Giuliani, and that they had set up the meetings for Mr. Giuliani with Mr. Lutsenko," Yovanovitch said during her testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on October 11. "And that they were interested in having a different ambassador at post, I guess for — because they wanted to have business dealings in Ukraine, or additional business dealings.""I didn't understand that because nobody at the embassy had ever met those two individuals," she continued. "And, you know, one of the biggest jobs of an American ambassador of the U.S. Embassy is to promote U.S. business. So, of course, if legitimate business comes to us, you know, that's what we do, we promote U.S. business."Later in her testimony, Yovanovitch identified the Ukrainian official who warned her as interior minister Arsen Avakov, who told her that Giuliani had sought a meeting with him but he refused out of discomfort with Giuliani's activities.Yovanovitch stated that Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who were arrested in October for campaign-finance violations and subsequently subpoenaed by the House, were interested in exporting liquid natural gas to Ukraine, a move the embassy normally supports.The two Florida businessmen, who were both born in the Soviet Union, have pictures with the Trumps and were allegedly working with Giuliani to connect with Ukrainian officials over exposing corruption. Parnas and Fruman were indicted after giving illegal contributions through a LLC "for the purpose of gaining influence with politicians so as to advance their own personal financial interests and the political interests of Ukrainian government officials."But a Ukrainian official told Yovanovitch in February 2018 that Giuliani and his associates were also attempting a "very dangerous" move by looking into the extent of Ukrainian involvement in the 2016 election.Giuliani and his associates were specifically investigating the existence of a so-called "black ledger," which allegedly detailed millions of dollars in secretive payments from ousted pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort, and whether it was used to convince U.S. authorities to reopen a case against Manafort."[Giuliani was] looking into that and how did all of that come about; the issue of whether, you know, it was Russia collusion or whether it was really Ukraine collusion, and, you know, looking forward to the 2020 election campaign, and whether this would somehow hurt former Vice President Biden. I think he felt that that was just very dangerous terrain for another country to be in," Yovanovitch statedThe former Ukrainian ambassador also stated that, in the midst of negative public press, including a tweet from Donald Trump Jr. retweeting an article pointing to Yovanovitch's ouster, she went to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to seek a reaffirming public statement of support. The State Department told her that there was "caution about any kind of statement, because it could be undermined" by a tweet from Trump.Former senior adviser to Pompeo Michael McKinley, whose testimony to the House was also released on Monday, testified that he resigned in part due to the State Department's lack of support for Yovanovitch.
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| Turkey's Erdogan may call off a visit to Washington next week in protest Posted: 04 Nov 2019 11:29 AM PST  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may call off a visit to Washington next week in protest of votes in the House of Representatives to recognize mass killings of Armenians a century ago as genocide and to seek sanctions on Turkey, three Turkish officials said.
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| A Freak Radioactive Refueling Accident Killed This Russian Submarine Posted: 04 Nov 2019 05:00 AM PST  The radiation still lingers to this day.
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| French leader seeks China deals, also set to raise 'taboo' issues Posted: 04 Nov 2019 09:15 AM PST  French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in China on Monday to drum up new business deals, but under warning from his hosts to keep off thorny issues such as the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Macron began his second official trip to China in the financial hub of Shanghai, where he will attend an international import fair against the backdrop of the trade war between Washington and Beijing. Speaking to French and German businesspeople attending the trade expo, Macron said Europeans must work together to compete economically with China.
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| Indian Muslims anxious as court prepares to rule on destroyed mosque Posted: 03 Nov 2019 11:39 PM PST ![Indian Muslims anxious as court prepares to rule on destroyed mosque]( "Indian Muslims anxious as court prepares to rule on destroyed mosque") In the Indian town of Ayodhya, minority Muslims are feeling under siege as they await a Supreme Court ruling on a centuries-old religious dispute that has cast a shadow over their relations with the majority Hindu community. After a tangle of legal cases, the Supreme Court in August decided to hear arguments every day in an effort to resolve the dispute over what should be built on the ruins of the 16th-century Babri Masjid, destroyed by a Hindu mob in 1992. The uproar over the mosque triggered some of India's deadliest riots, in which nearly 2,000 people, most of them Muslim, were killed.
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| Iran frets as anti-government protests take hold in Iraq and Lebanon Posted: 04 Nov 2019 09:22 AM PST  Protesters attacked the Iranian consulate in the Iraqi Shia holy city of Karbala on Sunday, as demonstrations continued to grow against Tehran's influence in the country. Crowds scaled the building's concrete barriers and tried to take down the Iranian flag and replace it with the Iraqi one before three were shot dead by security forces. Many demonstrators have accused Iran of propping up the "corrupt, inefficient" government they want to overthrow, as they have taken to the streets in the biggest mass protests since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. "I am the son of Karbala and there is no Iranian who can dictate to me," one angry protester shook his fist as he spoke to a local TV station, in a clip widely shared on social media on Monday. An Iraqi protester waves the Iraqi national flag as he stands on a concrete wall at the Iranian consulate in Karbala, Iraq Credit: REX In recent days, they have been seen burning posters of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which would have been unthinkable before the recent protests began last month. In the 16 years since the fall of Saddam Huseein, a Sunni Muslim, Shia neighbour Iran has emerged as a key power broker in Iraqi politics. Tehran closely backs both its Shia-led government and maintains control over a number of powerful armed groups in Iraq. Iran has reportedly stepped in to prevent the ouster of Abdel Abdul Mahdi, Iraq's prime minister, which has been called for by protesters and prominent political rivals. Militias backed by Tehran have tried to help put down the rallies, which are growing in scale, deploying snipers and firing on unarmed demonstrators. More than 250 people have been killed since the protests first erupted on October 1. Iraqi demonstrators block al-Sanak bridge during the ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad Credit: Reuters In another holy city, Najaf, demonstrators changed the name of Imam Khomenei road (after the late ayatollah) to " Martyrs of October Revolution" road after those killed. Elsewhere, in Lebanon, protesters have been chanting against what they see as the meddling of both Iran and Saudi Arabia in the Mediterranean country's domestic affairs. Protests against political corruption and mismanagement have been largely secular and peaceful, however supporters of the two biggest Shia parties, Hizbollah and Amal, have attempted to quash the rallies with violence. Lebanon's government is dominated by the allies of Shia armed movement Hizbollah, through which Iran exerts significant influence. Hizbollah is part of a political bloc that won the 2018 election, giving it control over the parliament and most to lose should the government fall. Lebanese riot policemen face off with anti-protest demonstrators shouting pro-Hizbollah and Amal Movement slogans in Beirut Credit: REX Protests in Iraq and Lebanon have rattled Iran, analysts say, threatening the latter's hard-won influence on both countries. "Very clearly, Iran in both Lebanon and Iraq wants to protect the system and not allow it to fall apart," said Renad Mansour, researcher at London-based Chatham House. In both countries "it considers the demands of protesters potentially destabilising," he said.
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| After seeing a FedEx worker walk 12 miles home for months, co-workers rally to buy her a car Posted: 04 Nov 2019 11:58 AM PST ![After seeing a FedEx worker walk 12 miles home for months, co-workers rally to buy her a car]( "After seeing a FedEx worker walk 12 miles home for months, co-workers rally to buy her a car") Darlene Quinn, 60, had her car break down and couldn't afford to fix it, so she walked home from work. Co-workers and strangers rallied to help her.
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| Cyprus 'golden passports' to be revoked if wrongdoing found Posted: 04 Nov 2019 07:00 AM PST ![Cyprus 'golden passports' to be revoked if wrongdoing found]( "Cyprus 'golden passports' to be revoked if wrongdoing found") Cyprus' president pledged on Monday to revoke any of his island republic's passports found to have been "mistakenly" granted to wealthy overseas investors under a controversial cash-for-citizenship program. Nicos Anastasiades said errors may have been made in granting such so-called "golden passports" under an earlier, laxer version of the program. "We have to admit mistakes" over some "blatant" instances where passports shouldn't have been issued, Anastasiades told reporters.
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| South Africa Appoints New Envoys in Drive to Raise $100 Billion Posted: 04 Nov 2019 08:27 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed three new envoys, including two former ministers, to help with his drive to attract $100 billion in new investment.Former Energy Minister Jeff Radebe has been appointed to drive investment in the oil and gas industry, South Africa's Presidency said in a statement on Monday. Derek Hanekom, the ex-trade and industry minister, will have a similar remit in the tourism industry, alongside Elizabeth Thabethe, the current deputy tourism minister.South Africa is scheduled to hold an investment conference in Johannesburg from Nov. 5 to Nov. 7.Ramaphosa has also established an investment and infrastructure office, to be headed by former Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, the presidency said.To contact the reporter on this story: Alastair Reed in Edinburgh at areed12@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Vernon Wessels at vwessels@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump vows 'no more' federal aid to California as devastating wildfires continue to burn Posted: 03 Nov 2019 06:22 AM PST  Donald Trump has threatened to cut off emergency funding to California as wildfires rage across the state, telling governor Gavin Newsom to "get his act together".The President tweeted: "The Governor of California, Gavin NEwsom, has done a terrible job of forest management. I told him from the first day we met that he must "clean" his forest floors regardless of what his bosses, the environmentalists, DEMAND of him. Must also do burns and cut fire stoppers.
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| Microsoft's Japanese Division Switched to a 4-Day Workweek — Then Productivity Skyrocketed Posted: 04 Nov 2019 04:37 AM PST  Japan has been struggling with some of the world's longest working hours
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| This Is How Russia Commits "Lawfare" Around The World Posted: 03 Nov 2019 03:00 PM PST  The case of Interpol provides an example.
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| FBI Investigating Theft of U.S. Biomedical Research by Scientists Linked to China Posted: 04 Nov 2019 05:17 AM PST  The FBI in conjunction with the National Institute of Health is investigating the theft of U.S. biomedical research by scientists with links to China, according to the New York Times.71 institutions, including some of the top medical research facilities in the U.S., are looking into 180 individual cases of possible intellectual property theft. Almost all of the individuals under investigation are of Chinese descent, some of them naturalized American citizens.So far, 24 of those cases have been referred to the NIH inspector general with evidence of criminal activity."It seems to be hitting every discipline in biomedical research," said Dr. Michael Lauer, deputy director for extramural research at the N.I.H.Some of those under investigation have obtained Chinese patents for work owned by U.S. institutions and funded by the U.S. government, while others are suspected of duplicating U.S. research in secret laboratories in China. Redacted emails provided to the Times showed researchers apparently ferrying research items to China from the U.S."I should be able to bring the whole sets of primers to you (if I can figure out how to get a dozen tubes of frozen DNA onto an airplane)," read one email, referring to medical testing materials.In January of this year, the U.S. Justice Department charged Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei with intellectual property theft and fraud.Huawei poses a "dual threat to both our economic and national security, and the magnitude of these charges makes clear just how seriously the FBI takes this threat," FBI Director Christopher Wray said at a press conference announcing the charges.
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| UPDATE 2-Police find 41 migrants alive in truck in northern Greece Posted: 04 Nov 2019 05:12 AM PST  Greek police found 41 migrants, mostly Afghans, hiding in a refrigerated truck at a motorway in northern Greece on Monday, officials said. The discovery came 10 days after 39 bodies, all believed to be Vietnamese migrants, were discovered in the back of a refrigerated truck near London. The refrigeration system in the truck where the migrants were found in northern Greece had not been turned on, and none of the migrants was injured, though some asked for medical assistance, a Greek police official said.
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| Romania parliament gives green light to minority liberal govt Posted: 04 Nov 2019 10:02 AM PST  Romania's pro-European liberals on Monday succeeded in getting parliamentary approval to form the next government, ending months of political uncertainty and paving the way for the new prime minister to appoint an EU commissioner. The EU member's previous left-wing government -- besieged by protests over controversial judicial reforms and a perceived failure to fight corruption -- collapsed in a no-confidence vote last month. President Klaus Iohannis then tasked Ludovic Orban, chief of the National Liberal Party (PNL), to form a new government, but his proposed minority line-up needed parliamentary approval.
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| NASA probe provides insight on solar system's distinct boundary Posted: 04 Nov 2019 01:27 PM PST  The journey of NASA's dauntless Voyager 2 spacecraft through our solar system's farthest reaches has given scientists new insight into a poorly understood distant frontier: the unexpectedly distinct boundary marking where the sun's energetic influence ends and interstellar space begins.
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| NYPD commissioner's exit: 'Right time' after tense summer Posted: 04 Nov 2019 05:28 PM PST  New York City's police commissioner, who has found himself caught at times between loyalty to his officers and demands from the public and politicians for greater police accountability, announced Monday that he is retiring. James O'Neill said he will leave for a private sector job in December, a little more than three years after he took charge of the nation's largest police department. Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea will succeed him, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
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| Fox News' Sean Hannity denies claim he spoke with Mike Pompeo about Ukraine following release of testimony Posted: 04 Nov 2019 03:03 PM PST  Ex-Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch testified she was told Mike Pompeo or someone in his "inner circle" planned to call Fox News' Sean Hannity.
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| Owner remains hopeful after Kincade Fire destroys his winery Posted: 04 Nov 2019 09:33 AM PST  Coming home after wildfire evacuations is a relief for some families, but can spell complete heartbreak for others. Some residents are returning home after California's largest evacuation in history to find their home and belongings have turned to ashes.Fires ignited across California and were fanned by strong winds last week -- the blazes threatened expensive Los Angeles area homes and the Getty Center, swept through agricultural land, closed the 405 Freeway, and almost burned down a presidential library.Even though firefighters worked tirelessly to extinguish multiple fires, they weren't able to protect everyone's homes and businesses.Ken Wilson, the owner of Soda Rock Winery, bought the winery in 2000 and served patrons local wine for 19 years until the exploding Kincade Fire threatened his business.As of Monday morning, the Kincade Fire has charred more than 77,000 acres of land in Sonoma County, which is located right in the heart of California wine country, since it first ignited on Oct. 23, 2019. It is 80 percent contained. Ken Wilson standing in front of what used to be Soda Rock WineryAccuWeather Photo/Bill Wadell) Wilson returned from the mandatory evacuation to find his winery in ruins."Those steel beams originally came off a bridge, I think in Dry Creek Valley in the 1800s, and you can see they're all twisted and bent, so it got pretty hot in there," Wilson told AccuWeather Reporter Bill Wadell in an interview. Soda Rock Winery distilled to ashes after the Kincade Fire destroyed his business in Healdsburg, California. "A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into it for many years so it's hard to imagine all of those years going away," Wilson said.However, Wilson is looking at the glass as half full, despite all of his losses. The flames spared his vineyards, and much of the inventory of wine is stored off-site and is still good to sell. Also, he is thankful his employees are OK. Soda Rock Winery before the Kincade fire turned it to dust. "I imagine things will get better around here also with the fires. I think that maybe we will have different management in place," Wilson said."We left in our pajamas and that was it," Bernadette Laos told AccuWeather reporter Bill Wadell in an interview. Laos and her husband, Justo, had heeded evacuation warnings as the Kincade Fire approached.When mandatory evacuations were lifted, Laos said she hesitated to return home to see the destruction. But when they did return, they found the fire had decimated their home near Geyserville, California, and they began sifting through charred possessions.It took hours of searching and some help from friends, but Laos told Waldell they were able to salvage jewelry -- and her husband's wedding ring. A friend of Bernadette Laos displays jewelry salvaged from her home that was destroyed by the Kincade Fire near Geyserville, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) "I'm still in shock. There's nothing like going home," Laos said. Justo and Burnadette Laos show a photo of the home they rented that was destroyed by the Kincade Fire near Geyserville, Calif. Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Ellie Laks looked across the animal sanctuary founded on her dream to help animals and people alike. A few horses stood calmly in a pasture, waiting patiently at the gate, but thick smoke was rolling in over the mountains. The Tick Fire was rapidly approaching."It's moving very, very fast," Laks said, a few flames visible from over the mountains. The orange-brown smoke blotted out most of the sky.With the power out, Laks took to Twitter to call for help in evacuating the 100 or so animals that called the sanctuary home as the Tick Fire crept over the mountainside."The Gentle Barn is home to animals who have nowhere else to go because they're too old, too sick, too lame or too scared to be adoptable," Laks told AccuWeather in a phone interview.Dogs, birds, cows, sheep, pigs and other animals that called the sanctuary home were loaded up and driven off to about four different locations. Even a few oddballs like Earl the emu and King the llama had found a new temporary refuge.Problems with the evacuation arose, however, when animals such as Zeus, an old, 750-pound pig, physically couldn't step up into a trailer to evacuate. Pigs typically live to 4 to 5 years old, according to The Gentle Barn. Zeus is still kicking at 12 years of age.The sanctuary also had concerns for one of their older cows, who they feared would have a fatal slip trying to step into the trailer.And then there was Zoe.The Belgian draft horse had put on the brakes at the door of the trailer, refusing to leave her home."There was nothing wrong with her," Laks said. "There's nothing physically challenging for her, she just didn't want to, and how are you going to make a 2,500-pound horse do anything?"From the afternoon until midnight, Laks, staff and volunteers worked to load the animals that they could into trucks and trailers. They crated the chickens and turkeys, led the goats by leashes and their horns and carried the sheep before loading the horses and cattle into the remaining trailers. The volunteers that didn't have trailers and couldn't lead the animals lined the street at the edge of the five acres, armed with fire extinguishers, jackets, and blankets trying to put out approaching flames.Weighing their options with the winds starting to ease up, the decision was made to keep animals like Zeus, Zoe and a potbelly pig, named Jellie, at the sanctuary while staying up for the rest of the night to keep an eye on the progress of the flames.The animals made it safely through the night, but the sanctuary owner said they are praying for the winds to die down and end the threat for flames to spread toward the refuge for the animals.The Tick Fire has been 100 percent contained after it burned 4,615 acres in Los Angeles County over the course of 10 days. The fire claimed 22 structures and damaged another 27.
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| Spy Wife Anne Sacoolas in Secret Talks Over Death of Teen Harry Dunn Posted: 04 Nov 2019 07:33 AM PST  Kirsty O'Connor/PA/APThe American spy wife Anne Sacoolas, who President Donald Trump tried to force on the grieving parents of the British teenager she accidentally killed in August, may face justice in Britain after all. The first time many Americans heard of the case that has gripped the U.K. since last summer was last month when Trump hid Sacoolas in a back room in the White House while he received Dunn's parents and plotted a reality-TV-style moment for the cameras.Grieving Parents 'Ambushed' by Trump, Who Had Teen's Killer Waiting at White HouseSacoolas had left the U.K. in early September under diplomatic immunity against the wishes of the British Foreign Office and had not been seen since. Trump summoned Dunn's parents to Washington, D.C., while they were on a media tour in the U.S. to try to pressure her into returning to Britain to face justice. Dunn's parents had said they would only meet Sacoolas on British soil under their terms–and with counselors and lawyers in the room. When Trump said the woman who killed their son was ready to meet them, Dunn's parents refused, saying they felt "ambushed" by Trump's "henchmen" led by National Security Adviser Robert C. O'Brien, who they said "snarled" at them, telling them Sacoolas "would never return" to the U.K.The Dunns have kept up the pressure through constant media appearances, and it looks like it might be working. Lawyers for Anne Sacoolas, 42, have been in secret talks with British officials after officers investigating the vehicular homicide of 19-year-old Harry Dunn traveled to the U.S. last week to interview her about the incident. The still "informal" talks, first reported by The Guardian and confirmed by The Daily Beast, are said to entail negotiations about a plea deal that would keep Sacoolas, a mother of three, from serving prison time if convicted in Dunn's wrongful death. Sacoolas admits to driving down the wrong side of the road after pulling out of the RAF Croughton intelligence base where her husband was stationed in late August when she ploughed into 19-year-old Dunn on his Kawasaki motorcycle. Dunn's parents have not been officially informed or included in the talks. "The family are aware of this report but have heard nothing formal from the police or Crown Prosecution Services," Radd Seiger, a spokesman for the Dunn family, told The Daily Beast. "Until Mrs. Sacoolas returns to the U.K. and submits herself to the legal process the campaign for justice for Harry continues."Pressure from the highest levels of the U.K. government has mounted on the United States to send Sacoolas back to Britain. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson brought up the matter personally with Trump and the government's extradition experts have hinted to several British media outlets that they would be willing to hold up the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, currently in a British jail, if Sacoolas does not face justice on British soil. The Dunn family hopes that is not the case. "We don't know anything about the Assange matter, but in our view they are entirely separate and unrelated matters, so should have no bearing on our case," Seiger told The Daily Beast. Last week, Trump told Nigel Farage on the Leading Britain's Conversation radio program that he would "study the facts of the case" but stopped short of making any promise to send Sacoolas back. "I'd have to see what the final facts are," Trump told Farage. "And then I'll take a look at the final facts."Dunn survived a few hours after the accident but later died of his injuries. Sacoolas initially cooperated with police, taking a breathalyzer test and answering initial investigative questions before she invoked diplomatic immunity and fled to the U.S., reportedly on an American Air Force jet. Her lawyers say she comforted Dunn as he lay in the ditch and waited near him until the ambulance came, even as one of her own young children who witnessed the accident waited in her SUV.The Dunn family was not told that Sacoolas left the country for more than a week after she was gone. Lawyers for the Dunn family have argued that Sacoolas did not qualify for diplomatic immunity and, now that she is back stateside, is certainly no longer under such protection and therefore open to extradition. "We don't think she has ever had diplomatic immunity and there is no bar to extradition," the Dunn's lawyer Mark Stephens told reporters last week. "It's the morally right thing and legally right thing to extradite her."The Dunn family, including Harry's twin brother, Niall, have engaged in an emotional media campaign and legal battle to try to put pressure on the U.S. government to send Sacoolas back. "When we were told Anne Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity, it was a punch in the face," Niall Dunn told Sky News. "'Tough, she's not coming back, end of story. Go away and cry at home.' That's what it really did feel like... I'm angry at the higher-ups of the world who just don't seem to care at all about what's happening."Dunn's family is suing the British foreign secretary and have asked for a parliamentary review into why the government kept information about Sacoolas' departure from them. They have also called for a review of diplomatic immunity procedures and practices, insisting that Sacoolas' alleged crime did not qualify for immunity. The Foreign Office has denied any wrongdoing. "We have done everything we can properly do to clear a path so that justice can be done for Harry's family," they said in a statement. "As the foreign secretary set out in parliament, the individual involved had diplomatic immunity whilst in the country under the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations. We will respond to any legal action in due course." The Dunn camp is also suing the Trump administration and Sacoolas for damages. "We are bringing claims against both Mrs. Sacoolas in the U.S. for civil damages as well as the Trump administration for their lawless misconduct and attempt to cover that up," the Dunn family spokesperson said in a statement to The Daily Beast regarding the lawsuits. "No one is above the law and the family are determined to ensure that this never happens to another family again. It will be Harry's memorial. His legacy."The family continues to insist that they do not want to see Sacoolas in prison. Still, they say they cannot move forward until the person responsible for killing their son and brother has faced justice back in the U.K. "It would be a way for everybody to get closure," Stephens said. "The family want to get closure, but in everything they do they are being frustrated." 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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| This Is How The Air Force Wants The F-35 To Beat Russia's S-400 Posted: 02 Nov 2019 11:00 PM PDT  The F-35 isn't done evolving.
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| China’s Xi Backs Lam’s Leadership Amid Hong Kong Protest Chaos Posted: 04 Nov 2019 03:55 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- China President Xi Jinping has backed the leadership of Hong Kong's embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam after five months of pro-democracy protests that have roiled the city, saying he has a high degree of trust in her.During a face-to-face meeting in Shanghai on Monday, Xi told Lam that she had led the Hong Kong government in stabilizing the situation and put in a lot of hard work amid the unrest, according to a report from China's official Xinhua News Agency.Xi told Lam, who was in Shanghai to attend the China International Import Expo, that he demanded unswerving efforts to stop and punish violent activities in accordance with the law to safeguard the well-being of the general public in Hong Kong. After she delivered a report to the president on the situation, Xi said that ending violence and chaos and restoring order remained the most important tasks in the city.Beijing-appointed Lam remains in the job after denying media reports that the Chinese government was planning her removal after her administration failed to quell months of increasingly violent unrest.Her introduction of legislation that would allow extraditions to mainland China sparked the months of protests against Beijing's tightening grip over the former British colony, which continue even after the bill was withdrawn.To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Scott in Canberra at jscott14@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Jon Herskovitz, Isabel ReynoldsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| FEATURE-Living on the edge in the homeless encampments of Los Angeles Posted: 04 Nov 2019 04:00 AM PST ![FEATURE-Living on the edge in the homeless encampments of Los Angeles]( "FEATURE-Living on the edge in the homeless encampments of Los Angeles") After years on the street, Kimberly Decoursey spends her nights at a Los Angeles temporary housing site called the Hollywood Studio Club. Decoursey, 37, who grew up in foster homes, considers the friends who have shared her struggles on the streets of Los Angeles to be her family. "A lot of them would give their right arm to be inside," Decoursey said of her comrades inhabiting grimy tents pitched on dirt patches in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.
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| EPA Rolls Back Obama Admin Regulation on Coal Plant Waste Posted: 04 Nov 2019 07:48 AM PST  The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that it will roll back Obama administration rules governing the storage and disposal of coal ash, which were intended to prevent the toxic waste from seeping into waterways.The 2015 rule required plants that burn coal to dispose of the fine powder and sludge using wastewater treatment technology in order to prevent about 1.4 billion pounds of coal ash from leaking into waterways. Coal ash often contains arsenic, lead, and mercury toxic to human consumption and the environment.The new Trump administration rules would allow unlined coal ash waste ponds to remain open until 2027 at the latest.EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the old rules "placed heavy burdens on electricity producers across the country.""These proposed revisions support the Trump administration's commitment to responsible, reasonable regulations by taking a common-sense approach that will provide more certainty to U.S. industry while also protecting public health and the environment," Wheeler said.Coal companies have complained in court that the Obama-era rules drain their finances, and President Trump has repeatedly pledged to support the industry since running for office.Environmental advocates have spoken up against the new rules, calling them "unconscionable.""Keeping industrial sludge and foul wastewater from coal plants out of our drinking water supplies shouldn't be something that should be up for debate," the Sierra Club said when the rule was introduced.Betsy Southerland, the former director of the Office of Science and Technology in the Office of Water at the EPA, helped develop the rules and now claims that the Trump administration is concealing the resulting benefits."EPA hides the detrimental impacts of these relaxed requirements and exemptions by stating they will achieve lower pollutant loadings because about 30 percent of the plants will voluntarily install treatment that is more stringent than the rule requirements," said one of the Obama administration rule's developers," she said.
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| Nigeria puts squeeze on oil majors as upends deals Posted: 04 Nov 2019 10:34 AM PST  Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday signed a measure to change the country's agreements with multinational oil companies to significantly increase the share of offshore oil revenue it takes. "This afternoon I assented to the bill amending the Deep Offshore (and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract) Act," Buhari said in a statement on Twitter. "Nigeria will now receive its fair, rightful and equitable share of income from our own natural resources for the first time since 2003," he added.
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| Airbnb bans 'party houses' after California shooting kills 5 Posted: 02 Nov 2019 08:58 PM PDT  Airbnb's CEO said the company was taking actions against unauthorized parties in the wake of a deadly shooting at a Halloween party held at an Airbnb rental home in California. In a series of tweets, Brian Chesky said Saturday the San Francisco-based company is expanding manual screening of "high risk" reservations and will remove guests who fail to comply with policies banning parties at Airbnb rental homes. Five people died after a Thursday night shooting that sent some 100 terrified partygoers running for their lives in the San Francisco suburb of Orinda.
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