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Dan Gainor: Fake news – ABC falsely portrays Kentucky shooting range as Syria battle scene ABC News used video of shooting at a gun range in Kentucky and said it showed an attack by Turkish forces on Kurds in Syria. This made President Trump look bad and potentially escalated the conflict.
October 20, 2019 at 06:27AM
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Pompeo Repeats US Commitment to Afghan Peace After Deadly Blasts
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that Washington remained committed to peace and stability in Afghanistan as police searched for bodies in the rubble of a mosque in eastern Nangarhar province where bomb blasts killed at least 69 people.
The explosives that went off during Friday prayers were placed inside the mosque in the Jawdara area of the Haska Mena district. On Friday, local officials had reported the number of dead at 62 and about 50 wounded.
"The United States remains committed to peace and stability in Afghanistan, and will continue to fight against terrorism," Pompeo said in a statement. "We stand by the people of Afghanistan who only want peace and a future free from these abhorrent acts of violence."
Sohrab Qaderi, a member of Nangarhar's provincial council, said the mosque, with a capacity of more than 150 worshippers at a time, was full of people when the bombs exploded.
"Bodies of 69 people, including children and elders, have been handed to their relatives," Qaderi said, adding that more bodies could be lying under the rubble.
No group has claimed responsibility but the government blamed Taliban insurgents, who are fighting to reimpose strict Islamic law after they were ousted from power in 2001 by U.S.-led forces.
Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban, denied the group was responsible. In a tweet, he said that witnesses to the attack said it was a mortar attack by government forces.
'Huge boom'
One of the wounded, Gulabistan, 45, said the mosque was full when the explosion happened.
"Mullah already started prayers and reciting verses of the holy Quran, when a huge boom happened. Then all around me it got dark. The only thing I remember is females' voices, and then I found myself in the hospital," Gulabistan said.
He said he had been told his son was among the dead, while his brother and two nephews had been wounded and were in hospital.
A Reuters reporter saw 67 freshly excavated graves for the victims in Jawdara village.
The European Union said the attack aimed to undermine hopes for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.
The Taliban and Islamic State fighters are actively operating in parts of Nangarhar, which shares a border with Pakistan in the east.
A U.N. report this week said 4,313 civilians were killed and wounded in Afghanistan's war between July and September.
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Mexican FM: Lopez Obrador, Trump to Target Flow of Arms to Mexico
Mexico's foreign minister said Saturday that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, had agreed to take swift action to stem the flow of illegal weapons from the United States into Mexico.
Lopez Obrador told Trump on a phone call, "I want to propose to you that both our countries use technology to close the border, to freeze the traffic of arms that is killing people in Mexico," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters.
"And Trump responded that he thought it was a good idea that this could be done using technology," Ebrard said, adding that existing technology could be used for this objective.
Lopez Obrador told Trump "he was very concerned" that gang members were using .50 caliber armor-piercing rifles during the breakout of violence in the northwestern city of Culiacan after
Mexican authorities attempted to arrest Ovidio Guzman, one of jailed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's dozen or so children.
There was no need to change laws in the United States in order to stop the illegal flow of weapons into Mexico, Ebrard assured.
The two leaders agreed that U.S. and Mexican officials would meet in the next few days to discuss options, and would announce actions to "freeze" illegal imports of weapons into Mexico through U.S. border crossings.
There was no immediate comment from U.S. authorities about the discussion, which came in the wake of the bungled arrest attempt.
Cartel gunmen surrounded about 35 police and national guardsmen Thursday in the capital of Sinaloa state and made them free Ovidio Guzman. His brief detention had set off widespread gunbattles and a jailbreak that stunned the country.
"If the order would have been given to continue with the operation in Culiacan, we estimate that more than 200 people, mostly civilians, would have been killed," said Ebrard, adding
that so-called collateral damage was unacceptable to the Mexican government.
The chaos in Culiacan, a bastion of the elder Guzman's Sinaloa cartel, has turned up pressure on Lopez Obrador, who took office in December promising to pacify a country weary of
more than a decade of gang violence.
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Report: Climate Change, Pollution Threaten New Zealand's Marine Environment
Climate change, pollution and fishing are causing irreversible damage to New Zealand's marine environment and putting many birds and mammals at risk of extinction, according to a new report from the nation's Ministry for the Environment.
The report said New Zealand's coastline, which stretches for about 15,000 kilometers, is also under increasing pressure from development and shipping. Agriculture, forestry and urbanization are increasing the amount of sediment, chemicals and plastics flowing into the oceans, and contaminating the coastline, it said.
The report said 90 percent of the country's seabirds and about a quarter of its marine mammals are threatened with extinction, and that 16 percent of New Zealand's fish stocks had been overfished.
"The sea is a receiving environment for what happens on the land, so our activities on land from the mountains to the sea are having an impact on what we are seeing in the marine environment; growing cities, forestry, agriculture — all delivering increasing amounts of sedimentation," said Vicky Robertson, New Zealand's secretary for the environment.
Warmer seas
The report also confirmed that New Zealand's sea temperature had risen and was consistent with the global average. It also found sea levels were rising faster than before.
There was a warning, too, that New Zealand could expect more frequent marine heat waves, similar to those in 2017 and 2018, and ocean acidification.
For the first time, data from citizen scientists were used in the government report. Community groups were instructed about how to collect robust data.
The next official marine environment report is due in three years.
New Zealand is a grouping of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia. It has a population of 4.5 million people.
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UFC star Conor McGregor accused of second alleged sexual assault A publicist for McGregor has denied a report alleging the UFC megastar sexually assaulted a woman outside a Dublin bar, his second case of that type in less than 12 months.
October 20, 2019 at 04:44AM
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Henry Olsson
Bonadea: sw acad successionbox
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Media ignoring Bidens' Ukraine dealings to protect ex-VP, Corey Lewandowski alleges A U.S. State Department official's concerns in 2015 about Hunter Biden's role in a Ukrainian business and the official's claims of being rebuffed by the staff of then-Vice President Joe Biden are going largely unnoticed in the media, former Trump aide Corey Lewandowski said Friday.
October 19, 2019 at 07:00PM
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South Korea Protesters Scale Walls Outside US Ambassador's Residence
Around 20 South Korean protesters broke into the residential compound of the U.S. ambassador to South Korea Friday, prompting U.S. officials to call for tighter security measures around diplomatic missions here.
Video of the break-in posted online shows a group of young, chanting protesters using ladders to scale the stone wall surrounding Ambassador Harry Harris' house, which is in a central area of Seoul.
A South Korean police official told Reuters that 19 students were taken to a police station for questioning.
After scaling the compound walls, the intruders attempted to forcibly enter the ambassador's residence, but were detained by Seoul police, according to a statement by the U.S. Embassy issued Saturday.
Some of the protesters carried signs calling for Harris to leave Korea and characterized U.S. troops as an occupying force.
Pockets of anti-US sentiment
Although polls show South Koreans overwhelmingly support the alliance with Washington, pockets of anti-U.S. sentiment remain.
In 2015, a knife-wielding South Korean man with a history of militant Korean nationalism ambushed then-U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert outside a building in downtown Seoul. Lippert sustained cuts to his arm and face.
More sporadic, minor disturbances have occurred since then.
"We note with strong concern that this is the second instance of illegal entry into the ambassador's residential compound in 14 months," a U.S. embassy official in Seoul said Saturday. "We urge the Republic of Korea to strengthen its efforts to protect all diplomatic missions to the ROK."
Seoul's foreign ministry said attacks on diplomatic facilities will not be tolerated, adding it will take "all appropriate measures" to prevent further incidents. Seoul police said they will increase security around the U.S. Embassy, according to the Yonhap news agency.
Cost-sharing talks
The break-in comes at a particularly tense moment for U.S.-South Korea relations. The two countries next week will begin a second round of contentious negotiations over how to split the cost of the U.S. military presence in South Korea.
President Donald Trump has long complained that U.S. allies, and South Korea in particular, are not paying their "fair share" for the cost of U.S. troops.
In an apparent hardball negotiating tactic, Trump in August said South Korea agreed to pay "substantially more" for protection from North Korea. Seoul shot back, saying cost-sharing talks haven't even begun.
South Korean reports say U.S. negotiators are demanding a fivefold increase in how much South Korea pays for U.S. troops. Harris appeared to indirectly confirm that figure in an interview last week.
He told the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper that from the U.S. perspective, South Korea could be seen as having funded only one-fifth of the total defense cost, and that as the world's 12th-largest economy South Korea should take on a larger share.
South Korean officials have reportedly rejected the demand, saying they are prepared to engage in "reasonable" negotiations before the current cost-sharing agreement expires at the end of the year.
Anti-US displays rare
Over the past decade, overt displays of anti-U.S. sentiment have become less common in Seoul than in previous decades.
According to a 2018 Pew Research poll, 80% of South Koreans have a favorable view of the United States. That same poll, however, suggested just 44% of South Koreans have confidence in Trump.
Historically, conservatives have been the most reliably pro-U.S. contingent in South Korea. Recently, though, there has been a small backlash against Trump among conservatives, many of whom are already skeptical of Trump's outreach to North Korea.
The situation has been exacerbated by Trump's comments on cost-sharing negotiations. Trump reportedly recently used an Asian accent to mock South Korea's president over the issue. Earlier this year, Trump said a certain country, widely seen as South Korea, was "rich as hell and probably doesn't like us too much."
The Pentagon says roughly 28,000 troops are in South Korea to help deter North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
South Korea rejects Trump's notion that it doesn't contribute enough toward the cost of the U.S. troops, insisting it pays almost half of the total cost of $2 billion. That doesn't include the expense of rent-free land for U.S. military bases, Seoul says.
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Chile President Declares State of Emergency After Violent Protests
Chile's president declared a state of emergency in Santiago Friday night and gave the military responsibility for security after a day of violent protests over increases in the price of metro tickets.
"I have declared a state of emergency and, to that end, I have appointed Major General Javier Iturriaga del Campo as head of national defense, in accordance with the provisions of our state of emergency legislation," President Sebastian Pinera said.
Throughout Friday, protestors clashed with riot police in several parts of the city and the subway system was shut after attacks on several stations.
Violent clashes escalated as night fell, and the ENEL power company building and a Banco Chile branch, both in the city center, were set on fire and several metro stations hit with Molotov cocktails.
The unrest started as a fare-dodging protest against the hike in metro ticket prices, which increased from 800 to 830 peso ($1.17) for peak hour travel, following a 20 peso rise in January.
Attacks on metro stations forced the closure of the entire subway system, which is the key form of public transport in the congested and polluted capital, carrying 3 million passengers a day.
"The entire network is closed due to riots and destruction that prevent the minimum security conditions for passengers and workers," the metro operator said on Twitter, after attacks against nearly all the 164 stations where many gates and turnstiles were destroyed.
The Santiago Metro, at 140 kilometers (90 miles) the largest and most modern in South America, is expected to remain closed this weekend and could reopen gradually next week.
Closure of the metro forced many Santiago residents to walk home, sometimes long distances, resulting in scenes of chaos.
Protesters erected barricades in various parts of the city and clashed with police, who used water cannon and tear gas in the most violent street battle seen in the Chilean capital for a long time.
Pinera slammed the protesters as criminals.
"This desire to break everything is not a protest, it's criminal," he said in a radio interview.
On Thursday, 133 people had been arrested for causing damage to metro stations, estimated at up to 500 million pesos ($700,000).
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North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Signals He's Ready for 'New Way,' Experts Say
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un most likely stands at a crossroads, trying to decide whether to test long-range ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons in a bid to force concessions from the U.S., an action that could trigger harsher measures by the U.S., according to experts.
"I am convinced that the North Koreans are preparing to escalate their ballistic missile testing and/or nuclear-related activities in ways that will test whether the United States is preparing to respond," said Evans Revere, a former State Department official who had negotiated with North Korea extensively.
"We should prepare ourselves for the possibility that the North Koreans will try something more ambitious in the coming weeks," he continued.
Setting the stage
After seeking sanctions relief from the U.S. for nearly a year since the failed Hanoi Summit with President Donald Trump in February, Kim may now consider pursuing other options he warned of in his New Year's Day speech, according to Robert Manning, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.
"He is setting the stage for pursuing an alternative — when he concludes he cannot get what he wants from Trump," Manning said.
In his New Year's Day speech, Kim said if the U.S. "persists in imposing sanctions and pressure" against North Korea, it "may be compelled to find a new way."
In April, Kim gave the U.S. until the end of the year to make a "bold decision."
While testing a series of short-range missiles this summer, North Korea said it will seek a new road unless the U.S. changes its approach.
North Korean delegations walked out of the working-level talks held in Stockholm earlier this month, chastising the U.S. for the failed talks because it "has not discarded its old stance and attitude."
In the first official statement by the U.S. since the breakdown of the Stockholm talks, Randall Shriver, assistant secretary for defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs said Tuesday the U.S. will maintain pressure on North Korea because it is necessary to induce the country to "come to the table with a particular mindset." He also urged China to strengthen enforcing sanctions on North Korea.
Mount Paektu significance
On Wednesday, North Korea's official state media released pictures of Kim riding on a white horse on Mount Paektu, a place Kim is known to visit before making a big decision. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), officials accompanying him were convinced Kim will plan "a great operation to strike the world with wonder again."
Joshua Pollack, a North Korean expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California said Kim's horseback ride on Mount Paektu "suggests that no sanctions relief is anticipated" by North Korea.
North Korea will probably "redouble their efforts to evade or undercut international sanctions," he added.
Ken Gause, director of the Adversary Analytics Program at CNA, said, "The fact that Kim's on a white horse on Paektu means he's made a really big decision." He continued, "I suspect that this is laying the propaganda framework or groundwork for what will eventually be an announced decision on what North Korea is going to do next."
Pollack expects Kim to announce a new direction in policy in his New Year's Day speech next year.
Until then, Kim may keep the door open for a potential engagement with the U.S., according to experts, in the event Trump decides to change his mind and grant sanctions relief.
Breaking off talks
Experts said Kim's main priority in engaging with the U.S. is for sanctions relief.
"While the current array of sanctions does threaten the existence of the regime, the burden of sanctions is substantial and is impeding economic development and modernization," Revere said. "He must find a way to get rid of sanctions. He is most likely to do this by ratcheting up tension with the United States."
Kim pointed out Wednesday while visiting township construction sites in Samjiyon County that "the situation of the country is difficult owing to the ceaseless sanctions and pressure by the hostile forces," according KCNA.
If Kim sees no hope for progress in diplomatic talks with the U.S., he may eventually break off engagement with the U.S, an action that could trigger the U.S. to consider taking tougher measures under its maximum pressure policy, according to Joseph Bosco, an East Asia expert at the Institute for Corea-American Studies (ICAS) who served at the office of the secretary of defense.
"If he seriously breaks off discussions, I think that would be a real mistake on his part because I think he will then force the Trump administration to go back to the maximum pressure campaign, which is much more than sanctions," Bosco said.
Two other pieces of the maximum pressure policy, according to Bosco, are credible use of force and threatening the legitimacy of Kim's regime.
"If there is perceived to be an imminent danger to the United States or its allies because of North Korean actions with nuclear weapons and missiles or other hostile actions, I think the use of force would be certainly on the table," Bosco said. "There are things that can be done to further question the legitimacy of Kim regime," he continued.
David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, said on Wednesday that the U.S. is "trying to reassure [North Korea's] security interest" while seeking denuclearization talks.
Turning to China, Russia
Other options North Korea may consider while testing weapons is to forge stronger alliances with China and Russia that could further relax enforcing sanctions on North Korea.
"China and Russia are probably willing to ease up on sanctions enforcement to allow North Korea if they so choose to lean in that direction to get some amount of support from China and Russia who are looking to do anything they can to weaken the U.S. position in Asia," Gause said.
Bosco said, "Because of the Syria experience, it's incumbent upon the Trump administration to make very clear that our alliance commitments in Asia Indo-Pacific are as strong as ever."
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Carl Copeland Cundiff
Postcard Cathy: /* References */
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Tropical Storm Nestor forms, threatening US Gulf Coast Forecasters are predicting that despite high winds, surging seas and heavy rain along the Gulf Coast, Tropical Storm Nester is not expected to morph into a hurricane, much to the relief of states in the storm's path that were more than 75 percent devastated by Hurricane Michael just last year.
October 19, 2019 at 10:56AM
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Who Are the Kurds?
The Kurds' involvement in the conflict in Syria is complicated, because of the group's troubled history that spreads across several regional borders. Here is a look at the current Kurdish crisis and how it came to be.
Who are the Kurds?
The Kurds are one of the indigenous people of the Mesopotamian plains and the highlands, areas that today are contained within southeastern Turkey, northeastern Syria, northern Iraq, northwestern Iran and southwestern Armenia.
Estimated at between 25 million and 35 million people, the Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East. They form a distinctive community, united through race, culture and language, and while most of them are Sunni Muslims, they also adhere to a number of different religions and creeds, including Christians, Jews, Yazidis and Zoroastrians.
They are considered the largest ethnic group in the world to be stateless.
Why don't they have a country?
After World War I and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the victorious Western allies made provision in the 1920 Treaty of Sevres for the formation of a Kurdish state, to be known as Kurdistan.
But their hopes were dashed three years later when the Treaty of Lausanne, which set the boundaries of modern Turkey, made no provision for a Kurdish state and left Kurds with minority status in four countries — Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Over the next 80 years, any move by Kurds to set up an independent state was quashed.
After the first Gulf War, followed by a Kurdish uprising in northern Iraq and the establishment of a no-fly zone, the Kurds managed to establish a semiautonomous region. The second Gulf War, which ousted Saddam Hussein, enabled them to consolidate those gains in a largely autonomous region across northern Iraq.
In recent years, the fight against the Islamic State terror group has presented an opportunity for the Kurds to further project legitimacy on the international stage.
What is their role in the war against Islamic State?
Kurds in both Iraq and Syria were involved in the fight against IS. Thousands of Kurds were killed in battles. Their role in helping to eliminate the IS caliphate earned them a global reputation as one of the most effective ground forces against the terror group.
In September 2014, IS launched an assault on the enclave around the northern Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee across the nearby Turkish border. In January 2015, after a battle that left at least 1,600 people dead, Kurdish forces regained control of Kobani.
The Kurds — fighting under the name of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alongside several local Arab militias, and helped by U.S.-led coalition air power — drove IS out of a large swath of territory in Syria and established control over a large area along the border with Turkey.
What has been happening with the Kurds since the U.S. policy change in Syria?
U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his desire to withdraw American troops from northeastern Syria on Oct. 6, 2019, after first ordering a withdrawal in December 2018.
The pullout allowed Turkish troops and their proxies to launch a military offensive in the region on Oct. 9 against a Kurdish-led militia that had helped the U.S. fight the Islamic State.
Trump's decision has fueled concerns that the Turkish offensive would result in the annihilation of the Kurds and the release of some 11,000 Islamic State militants imprisoned in the area.
A week after the Trump announcement, Turkey and its proxies had seized more than 194 square kilometers of previously Kurdish-led territory. Amnesty International has charged that the Turkish army and its proxies have committed war crimes during the operation; Turkey denies it.
Instability in the region could benefit Islamic State. Although Kurdish-led rebels fought back, especially in border towns, they are no longer capable of neutralizing holdover militant cells.
Kurdish authorities, however, have permitted Syrian troops to return to large areas of northern Syria for the first time in more than five years. It is not clear that the Syrian army will defend the area or that the Kurds will have a civilian authority.
The U.S. withdrawal also allows Russia and Iran to increase their influence in the region. Russia has become the primary power broker in talks between the Kurds, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Turkish government.
The Kurds run more than a dozen camps that hold tens of thousands of displaced people. The offensive may displace tens of thousands of others who are fleeing southward to escape the violence.
There are about 6.7 million Syrian refugees and another 6.2 million people within the country who have been displaced, according to the global anti-poverty group World Vision.
Key dates
1923 — Turkey is recognized as an independent nation. Under the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne, Turkey is no longer required to grant Kurdish autonomy. Kurdish population is divided among Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran.
1978 — Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is founded to fight for Kurdish independence in Turkey.
1991 — Encouraged by the U.S. after the Gulf War, Iraq's Kurds rebel against then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. During Saddam's rule, hundreds of thousands of Kurds had been killed or disappeared.
1993 — Turkey does not recognize Kurdish rights, and Kurdish political parties remained banned. Martial law is imposed to subdue uprisings.
2007 — Turkey launches ground and aerial attacks against the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan, while Iran attacks Kurdish rebel bases.
2011 & 2012 — Turkish attacks against the PKK continue.
2015 — In March, PKK co-founder Abdullah Ocalan declares a cease-fire and orders the removal of Kurdish fighters from Turkey. Six months later, the cease-fire collapses.
2015 — U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), strongly supported by Kurdish fighters, are formed as part of a campaign to defeat the Islamic State in Syria.
2016-2017 — The SDF secures decisive victories in key Islamic State strongholds, including the Islamic State's self-declared capital of Raqqa.
2019 — The SDF seizes the town of Baghouz on March 19, a victory the U.S. said marked the end of the Islamic State's rule in the region.
2019 — U.S. President Donald Trump announces on Oct. 6 the withdrawal of U.S. troops from northeastern Syria, allowing Turkey to conduct its own military operations in the territory.
2019 — On Oct. 9, Turkish troops and their proxies launch a military offensive in the region against the SDF.
2019 — On Oct. 17, Turkey agrees to a U.S.-brokered cease-fire deal, whereby Ankara agrees to temporarily suspend its military operation in Syria to allow Kurdish forces to retreat from a designated safe zone.
Note — Before 2011, Kurds in Syria had no rights and were considered second-class citizens. Most of them were denied citizenship.
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Trump Optimistic That Deal to Pause Syrian Fighting Will Hold
As fighting eased between Turkish and Kurdish forces in northeast Syria, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism Friday that a U.S.-Turkish deal to allow Kurdish militias to withdraw during a five-day period would hold.
The situation on the ground in northeast Syria is very fragile, Trump acknowledged to reporters at the White House after a telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"It was a lot of pain for a couple of days," he said. "And sometimes you have to go through some pain before you can get a good solution. But the Kurds are very happy about it. President Erdogan and Turkey is satisfied with it."
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said no U.S. ground forces would be enforcing the safe zone during the agreed-upon 120-hour pause in the fighting.
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Harley-Davidson restarts Livewire electric motorcycle production after quality review Only affected one bike.
October 19, 2019 at 03:35AM
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Lebanon Protests Proposed Tax Hike
Demonstrators in Lebanon are blocking major roads across the country in a second day of protests against proposed new taxes, which come amid a severe economic crisis.
Hundreds of people burned tires on highways and intersections Friday, sending up clouds of black smoke in scattered protests.
Two Syrian workers died Thursday when they were trapped in a shop that was set on fire by rioters. Dozens of people were injured.
The demonstrations began Thursday evening and quickly escalated into some of the biggest protests in years. They were sparked when the government announced plans for new taxes on such items as voice calls made through messaging applications, including Whatsapp.
The protests could plunge Lebanon into a political crisis with unpredictable repercussions for the economy, which has been in steady decline.
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Miley Cyrus' boyfriend Cody Simpson drops new song 'Golden Thing' about her Cody Simpson just dropped a new single "Golden Girl," about Miley Cyrus.
October 19, 2019 at 01:15AM
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Florida police search for 'sweet-talking duo' accused of drugging, robbing tourist at casino Police in Florida are on the hunt Friday for two women suspected of drugging a tourist at a casino and then robbing him of a $15,000 Rolex watch and $1,000 in cash.
October 18, 2019 at 11:24PM
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Baby food study finds heavy metals in 95 percent of products tested, researchers claim Buying organic or making your own won't prevent exposure either, researchers warned.
October 18, 2019 at 11:12PM
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Babanrao Pachpute
Johnaltovino:
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Syria cease-fire in question after fighting, shelling reported Just hours after President Trump announced a cease-fire between Turkish and Kurdish-led forces in Syria, journalists have reported continued fighting in the Syrian town of Ras al-Ayn on Friday morning, while other areas have reported relative calm since the agreement.
October 18, 2019 at 04:08PM
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Today Moonrise Time in delhimoon time on karva chauth, timing of moon today, karwa chauth moon time
October 17, 2019 at 11:00PM
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Moonrise time today in delhichand, moonrise in delhi today
October 17, 2019 at 11:00PM
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Karwa Chauth Chand time 2019moon rise today in delhi today, moonrise in delhi today
October 18, 2019
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Moon rise todaytoday moon rise time in delhi live, आज चांद कितने बजे निकलेगा, चांद कितने बजे निकलेगा
October 17, 2019 at 11:00PM
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Moon Time Today in delhimoon today, moonrise time today in delhi, today moon rise time in delhi, moon time on karva chauth, karwa chauth moon time, moon rise time today in delhi, time of moon rise today
October 17, 2019 at 10:00PM
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Sam Adams' newest beer is illegal in 15 states This beer isn't just scary levels of alcoholic, it's actually illegal in several states.
October 18, 2019 at 06:56AM
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2 Plead Not Guilty of Conspiring With Giuliani Associates
Two businessmen pleaded not guilty Thursday of conspiring with associates of Rudy Giuliani to make illegal campaign contributions, as a prosecutor said evidence includes data from over 50 bank accounts and information gathered through 10 search warrants.
David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin are among four men charged with using straw donors to make illegal contributions to politicians they thought could help their political and business interests, including committees supporting President Donald Trump and other Republicans.
Their next court date was set for Dec. 2, though U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken granted a request from Kukushkin to remain in California, where a $1 million bail package limits where he can go beyond home to work, legal visits and medical appointments.
Two other men charged in the case, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, worked with Giuliani to try to get Ukrainian officials to investigate the son of Democrat Joe Biden. Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, has said he had no knowledge of illegal donations.
Prosecutors say Correia and Kukushkin teamed with Parnas and Fruman in a separate scheme to make illegal campaign donations to politicians in several states to try to get support for a new recreational marijuana business.
Money for those donations was actually supplied, prosecutors say, by an unidentified foreign national with "Russian roots.''
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos told the judge the indictment could be updated, but he made no mention of whether others might be arrested.
It was fair, he said, "to characterize the government's investigation as ongoing.''
Besides the bank and search warrant records, Roos said, prosecutors have obtained emails and electronic records for over 10 accounts.
The court hearing was finished in just over 15 minutes, and lawyers and their clients declined to speak afterward.
Meanwhile, officials in California announced they would review the dozen state marijuana distribution licenses granted to a partnership involving Kukushkin to make sure there were no improprieties, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
"We always have concerns when something like that happens, so we want to do our due diligence and look at them,'' said Lori Ajax, chief of the California Bureau of Cannabis Control.
All the state licenses issued to the partnership of Garib Karapetyan and Kukushkin are provisional permits, Ajax said, pending detailed background checks and disclosure of major investors.
Karapetyan's attorney, Brad Hirsch, said his clients were in complete compliance with all regulations.
Separately, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg called for an investigation of his city's permit system to determine how Kukushkin and another businessman obtained nearly one-third of the licenses issued by the city.
All the defendants are U.S. citizens, but Kukushkin and Parnas were born in Ukraine and Fruman in Belarus.
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October 17, 2019 at 10:00PM
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Trump Property Picked as Site for Next Year's G-7 Summit
Next year's Group of Seven leaders' summit will be held at one of U.S. President Donald Trump's properties in the state of Florida.
In making the announcement Thursday, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney defended the site selection process from immediate criticism that Trump will personally benefit from hosting the major event at one of his resorts.
"How is this not an emoluments violation?" he said, anticipating reporters' questions. "They're doing this at cost," Mulvaney explained, which makes it "dramatically cheaper" to be held at Doral rather than at any of the other finalist sites, including two in Utah and one in Hawaii, that senior officials visited to determine the best one.
The 320-hectare resort is 13 kilometers from Miami International Airport and has nearly 643 guest rooms.
Doral, built in the early 1960s, was purchased out of bankruptcy by Trump's company in 2012.
"Donald Trump's brand is probably strong enough as it is, and he doesn't need any more help on that. It's the most recognizable name in the English language and probably around the world right now," according to Mulvaney. "There's no issue here on him profiting from this."
It is an issue, according to members of the opposition Democratic Party.
"This is corruption, plain and simple," responded one of the leading Democratic presidential candidates, Senator Elizabeth Warren.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler is calling the selection of Trump's personal property for the meeting as "among the most brazen examples yet of the president's corruption. He is exploiting his office and making official U.S. government decisions for his personal financial gain.The emoluments clauses of the Constitution exist to prevent exactly this kind of corruption."
Nadler adds that his committee "will continue investigating, litigating and legislating regarding these matters — including pressing for answers to our prior requests about the G-7 selection process."
Asked about this by VOA News, Mulvaney chastised Democrats for not focusing on what he termed the more important issues the country is facing, but said, "We'll look forward to participating in it."
Mulvaney, in response to another question, said Trump could invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend next year's summit, as is the privilege of the host leader, but there has been no discussion yet on whether to return the G-7 to the G-8 and again include Russia as a full member in the exclusive circle.
Russia was booted out of the group by the other countries in 2014 following its invasion of Crimea.
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October 17, 2019 at 11:00PM
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US Envoy: Trump Demanded Diplomats Work with His Attorney on Ukraine
Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, told House impeachment investigators on Thursday that President Donald Trump ordered diplomats to work with his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to get Ukraine to open investigations that would help Trump politically.
"Mr. Giuliani emphasized that the president wanted a public statement from President (Volodymyr) Zelenskiy committing Ukraine to look into anti-corruption issues," Sondland said in a prepared statement.
Sondland, a major political donor to Trump before being named as the country's top diplomat in Brussels, said, "Mr. Giuliani specifically mentioned the 2016 election," including whether Ukraine knew of the whereabouts of a computer server used by the Democratic National Committee in Washington three years ago, and energy company Burisma, "as two anti-corruption investigatory topics of importance for the president."
Hunter Biden, the son of one of Trump's key political rivals, former Vice President Joe Biden, until earlier this year held a lucrative position on the Burisma board. Both Bidens have denied wrongdoing, although the younger Biden this week acknowledged "poor judgment" in taking the Burisma position because of the political fallout affecting his father.
Sondland told the investigators he was disappointed that Trump directed diplomats to work with Giuliani, a former New York mayor, on Ukraine matters.
"Our view was that the men and women of the State Department, not the president's personal lawyer, should take responsibility for all aspects of U.S. foreign policy towards Ukraine," Sondland said in the prepared remarks.
He said envoys had a choice after a May 23 meeting with Trump, abandon the goal of a White House meeting with Zelenskiy or do as Trump wanted, work through Giuliani to promote the Ukraine investigations. He said the envoys worked with Giuliani, but that he did not know "until much later" that Giuliani would push for a probe of Biden "or to involve Ukrainians, directly or indirectly, in the president's 2020 reelection campaign."
When Trump talked with Zelenskiy in a late July phone call, he prodded the Ukrainian leader to investigate Biden at the same time that the U.S. was withholding nearly $400 million in military aid from Ukraine. A whistleblower complaint regarding that phone call is at the center of the impeachment inquiry launched by House Democrats.
Sondland stressed that he was not on the call and did not see a transcript until the White House released a rough version of the call's content last month.
"Let me state clearly: Inviting a foreign government to undertake investigations for the purpose of influencing an upcoming U.S. election would be wrong," Sondland said in his statement. "Withholding foreign aid in order to pressure a foreign government to take such steps would be wrong. I did not and would not ever participate in such undertakings." Trump eventually released the military aid to Kyiv.
The House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees are taking several closed-door depositions this week delving into Trump's actions pushing for the Ukraine investigations and his ouster of a well-regarded career diplomat, Marie Yovanovitch, as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the requests to Zelenskiy, but the Democratic-controlled House could impeach him in the coming weeks. That would lead to a trial in the Republican-majority Senate, although Trump's removal from office remains an unlikely outcome.
According to a U.S. intelligence whistleblower, Sondland and other diplomats exchanged a series of text messages in which the diplomats wondered why the military aid to Ukraine was frozen.
Reports say there was a five-hour-long gap between text messages, during which Sondland telephoned Trump.
The next message assured one diplomat there was no "quid pro quo" of any kind with Ukraine, followed by Sondland writing, "I suggest we stop the back and forth by text."
On Wednesday, a former top aide to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told House lawmakers that he quit last week in growing frustration over the politicization of the State Department, with the final straw being Trump's ouster of Yovanovitch.
In hours of congressional testimony, Michael McKinley, decried the agency's unwillingness to protect career diplomats like Yovanovitch from political pressure.
McKinley's statements, recounted by people familiar with his closed-door testimony, are the latest in a string of unflattering accounts about the behind-the-scenes operations of the country's foreign policy and national security agencies.
McKinley has served as the U.S. ambassador in four countries, and he had other global postings before returning to Washington as an aide to Pompeo.
His testimony, along with that of others, has helped buttress the account of the unnamed whistleblower.
Yovanovitch testified last week that Trump dismissed her based on "unfounded and false claims" after Giuliani had attacked her performance in Kyiv.
According to a rough recounting of the July conversation supplied by the White House, Trump told Zelenskiy, "The former ambassador from the United States, the woman, was bad news and the people she was dealing with in the Ukraine were bad news, so I just wanted to let you know that. The other thing, there's a lot of talk about Biden's son, and that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look in to it ... it sounds horrible to me."
Trump continued Thursday to attack the impeachment hearings against him, calling them "The Greatest Witch Hunt in American History!"
The Greatest Witch Hunt in American History! https://t.co/sPnloffJMT
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2019
A day before, he contended, "Republicans are totally deprived of their rights in this Impeachment Witch Hunt. No lawyers, no questions, no transparency! The good news is that the Radical Left Dems have No Case. It is all based on their Fraud and Fabrication!"
Republicans are totally deprived of their rights in this Impeachment Witch Hunt. No lawyers, no questions, no transparency! The good news is that the Radical Left Dems have No Case. It is all based on their Fraud and Fabrication!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2019
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff defended the process in a letter Wednesday, saying Republicans have not been kept out of the process.
"Questions have been primarily asked by committee counsels for both the majority and the minority, but also by members of both parties. And the majority and minority have been provided equal staff representation and time to question witnesses, who have stayed until the majority and minority have asked all of their questions -- often late into the evening," Schiff wrote.
He said transcripts of closed-door interviews will be made public at a time when doing so will not jeopardize the investigation, and that "at an appropriate point" witnesses will be questioned in public sessions "so that the full Congress and the American people can hear their testimony firsthand."
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Some Nepalis Uneasy Over Influx of Chinese Language Teachers
Plans for 100 Chinese language teachers to arrive in Nepal are causing uneasiness among some Nepali and international experts, who see it as a neocolonial bid by China to exert greater control over its Himalayan neighbor.
The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported this week on the plan, which coincides with a high-profile visit to the country last weekend by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Reports said the goal is to have the Chinese language taught in every public school in Nepal.
The paper quoted government officials saying wider use of Chinese will help the economy by attracting more Chinese tourists. But not everyone is convinced.
Kapil Shrestha, a professor of political science at the University of Nepal, sees a parallel to the period of British colonial rule in India, Nepal's other neighbor.
"Why did the British try to popularize English in India in 18th and 19th century?" Shrestha asked in an interview with VOA. "China is trying to popularize the Chinese language, which has long-term implications for Nepal."
Sumit Ganguly, a South Asia expert and professor at Indiana University in the United States, is also skeptical about the plan.
"I think the Nepalese elite should understand what's going on. This is clearly an attempt by China to extend its tentacles into Nepal," Ganguly told VOA.
There are already 85 private and public schools offering Chinese-language courses in Nepal, according to the Kathmandu Post. Some private schools have made Chinese language studies compulsory, but in most cases the teaching is coordinated by Chinese-sponsored Confucius Institutes.
The Chinese government also encourages Nepali students to study in China, providing each student with $360 a month for living expenses, according to the Nepali Times newspaper. It said 6,400 Nepali students flew to China to study in 2017, the last year for which the figures are available.
Ganguly sees the Chinese initiative in terms of Beijing's great-power rivalry with India, which has long had deep cultural and political ties with Nepal. "One of the principle objectives is to reduce India's influence and footprint" in Nepal, he said.
India has long been the main source of food, fuel and other necessities in land-locked Nepal, a relationship that came under severe strain when cross-border commerce was halted for four months in 2015. India blamed the cut-off on disturbances inside Nepal but many Nepalis remain resentful toward India, creating an opening for China.
"Nepalese have every right to raise that issue because Indians handled the whole issue extraordinarily clumsily and they deserve what they got," said Ganguly.
Shrestha, at the University of Nepal, said the experience left many Nepalis feeling their country has nowhere to turn for help except to China.
"The United States is no longer an important global player. The U.S. even in the past didn't have much stake in Nepal, and now it seems even [other] developed countries are [too busy] with their own problems," he said. "So, China is taking advantage of that."
Government efforts to please China were especially evident in the lead-up to Xi's two-day visit, with reports that at least 18 people were arrested for wearing t-shirts with the slogan, "Free Tibet." Many Tibetan exiles living in Nepal told VOA that they didn't dare leave their homes for those two days, fearing arrest.
Shrestha, a former member of Nepal's National Human Rights Commission, said two Tibetans who sell the t-shirts in small shots are still in jail. "They can't sell such t-shirts in China, but now they can't do it in Nepal either," Shrestha said.
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Adriaen van Overbeke
Breskit: ←Created page with 'File:Adriaen van Overbeke - Tryptich of crucifixion with scenes of the carrying of the cross and the resurrection.jpg|thumb|right|330px|''Tryptich of the cruci...'
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Andrew George Little
Noswall59: ←Created page with ''''Andrew George Little''', FBA (28 September 1863 – 22 October 1945) was an English historian, specialising in the Francis...'
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US Ambassador to EU Set to Testify in Impeachment Inquiry
After the State Department blocked him from appearing last week, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland is scheduled to appear Thursday before House lawmakers conducting an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump's relations with Ukraine.
The House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees are holding the closed-door deposition where Sondland is expected to say Trump would only offer a White House visit to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy if he committed to investigations involving Trump's Democratic rivals.
Sondland, a Trump donor, was one of several diplomats who advised the Ukrainian leadership about how to carry out Trump's demands after his July phone call with Zelenskiy. In the call, Trump asked the Kyiv leader for "a favor" — that Ukraine investigate one of Trump's top Democratic challengers, former Vice President Joe Biden, and the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden.
According to a U.S. intelligence whistleblower, Sondland and other diplomats exchanged a series of text messages in which the diplomats wondered why roughly $400 million in aid to Ukraine was frozen.
Reports say there was a five-hour gap between text messages, during which Sondland telephoned Trump.
The next message assured one diplomat there was no "quid pro quo" of any kind with Ukraine, followed by Sondland writing, "I suggest we stop the back and forth by text."
Former Pompeo aide
On Wednesday, a former top aide to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told House lawmakers that he quit last week in growing frustration over the politicization of the State Department, with the final straw being President Donald Trump's ouster of the well-regarded American ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch.
In hours of congressional testimony, Michael McKinley, decried the agency's unwillingness to protect career diplomats like Yovanovitch from political pressure.
McKinley's statements, recounted by people familiar with his closed-door testimony before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, are the latest in a string of unflattering accounts about the behind-the-scenes operations of the country's foreign policy and national security agencies.
McKinley has served as the U.S. ambassador in four countries, and he had other global postings before returning to Washington as an aide to Pompeo.
His testimony, along with that of others, has helped buttress the account of the unnamed whistleblower.
Both Bidens have denied wrongdoing, but Hunter Biden, 49, said this week he used "poor judgment" in agreeing to serve on the board of a Ukrainian energy company because it had become a political liability for his father.
Trump has described the call with Zelenskiy as "perfect," and denied any wrongdoing.
Yovanovitch testified last week that Trump dismissed her based on "unfounded and false claims" after Trump's personal attorney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, assailed her performance in Kyiv.
According to a rough recounting of the July conversation supplied by the White House, Trump told Zelenskiy, "The former ambassador from the United States, the woman, was bad news and the people she was dealing with in the Ukraine were bad news, so I just wanted to let you know that. The other thing, there's a lot of talk about Biden's son, and that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look in to it ... it sounds horrible to me."
Trump continued Wednesday to attack the impeachment hearings against him.
Republicans are totally deprived of their rights in this Impeachment Witch Hunt. No lawyers, no questions, no transparency! The good news is that the Radical Left Dems have No Case. It is all based on their Fraud and Fabrication!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2019
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff defended the process in a letter Wednesday, saying Republicans have not been kept out of the process.
"Questions have been primarily asked by committee counsels for both the majority and the minority, but also by Members of both parties. And the majority and minority have been provided equal staff representation and time to question witnesses, who have stayed until the majority and minority have asked all of their questions — often late into the evening," Schiff wrote.
He said transcripts of closed-door interviews will be made public at a time when doing so will not jeopardize the investigation, and that "at an appropriate point" witnesses will be questioned in public sessions "so that the full Congress and the American people can hear their testimony firsthand."