| UPDATE 1-U.S. amphibious group patrols Arabian Sea as Iran tensions simmer Posted: 18 Jul 2019 08:43 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-U.S. amphibious group patrols Arabian Sea as Iran tensions simmer]( "UPDATE 1-U.S. amphibious group patrols Arabian Sea as Iran tensions simmer") At a thumbs-up sign from a sailor, a U.S. Harrier fighter jet takes off from the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer in the Arabian Sea as an oil tanker passes, a nautical mile away. The patrol is "standard" but the situation - growing tension between the United States and Iran - is not. "We want to make sure that we assure allies in the region and to ensure freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce," says Colonel Fridrik Fridrikson, commanding officer of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
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| Italy police deal blow to 'violent' Nigerian mafia Posted: 18 Jul 2019 07:31 AM PDT  Italian police said Thursday they had arrested 19 suspected members of a Nigerian mob, including the leaders of a clan which forged alliances with other mafias and violently punished anyone who rebelled. In an operation dubbed "Burning Flame", coordinated by police in Bologna and Turin, over 300 officers carried out arrests and searches in nine cities across northern Italy from Bergamo to Modena, Parma and Ravenna. A two-year probe -- aided significantly by a man on the inside who fed details to investigators -- "has allowed us to destroy much of what, within the Nigerian community, is known as the 'Maphite' cult," police said in a statement.
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| Poll: 38 Percent of Democrats Say American Dream Is Unattainable for Them Posted: 18 Jul 2019 11:57 AM PDT  38 percent of Democrats say they do not believe they will achieve the American dream in their lifetimes, compared to just 11 percent of Republicans, according to a new Gallup poll.Two-thirds of independents said they see the dream as attainable, compared to 31 percent who said they do not. Overall, about 70 percent of Americans feel that American dream could be grasped, the poll reported, while 29 percent disagree.The 38 percent of Democrats who said they did not believe they could achieve the American dream represented a sharp increase from a decade ago, when 29 percent of Democrats said the same. President Trump has described the Republican party as "the party of the American Dream," perhaps contributing to the increasing partisan split on the matter."The American dream is back," the president said after taking office in 2017. "We're going to create an environment for small business like we haven't had in many, many decades."
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| New bill would guarantee free legal representation for illegal immigrants seeking asylum Posted: 18 Jul 2019 05:16 AM PDT  A Democrat lawmaker introduces the Equal Justice for Immigrants Act to guarantee the right to counsel for illegal immigrants. Judge Alex Ferrer reacts.
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| Marine Corps Tells Rep. Duncan Hunter He Can’t Use Trademarked Corps Material for His Campaign Posted: 18 Jul 2019 02:32 AM PDT  "It is personally disappointing to Congressman Hunter that he is now being told that he cannot use this motto or image that thousands of Marines like Congressman Hunter, who went to war under this banner, have used for tattoos, coins, and multiple other items of personal sentiment," Harrison told Task & Purpose.Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has been told to stop using the Marine Corps' emblem and the 1st Marine Division's motto in his campaign literature, Corps officials confirmed.The Marine Corps Trademark Licensing Office has sent Hunter, a Marine veteran, a cease and desist letter telling him to quit using the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem along with the phrase, "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy," on a fundraising mailer that accuses his political opponent of having links to terrorism, NBC News first reported on Wednesday."Please be advised that you are more than welcome to simply and accurately state that you are a Marine Corps veteran, or provide other information about your service that is based on fact," according to the letter, which NBC News posted online. "As an alternative, we do offer a 'Marine Veteran' logo (Attachment B) for use by Marines to indicate their pride in service."Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Joseph Butterfield confirmed the Corps had "taken appropriate action" to address the campaign mailers cited in the NBC story.
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| Rally Red 1972 Dodge Challenger Shows Off Its Muscles Posted: 18 Jul 2019 09:46 AM PDT  A stunning example of a highly desirable American icon. If you have been in the market for an iconic American muscle car, then you're in luck. GR Auto Gallery is pleased to announce this bold and beautiful 1972 Dodge Challenger up for sale. Dressed in a brilliant Rally Red paint job, the exterior shines at every angle and is in pristine condition. It's nicely contrasted by the tidy black interior with wooden accents. Overall, this example is in immaculate condition and was taken care of with love. Everything from the door panels to the dashboard and floor mats are like-new and very clean.The heart and soul of this bad boy is a massive 440 cubic-inch V8 motor paired to a smooth-shifting 727 automatic transmission. This 1972 Dodge Challenger received a full restoration, which includes the powertrain. The odometer reading on the add is 808 miles. Other features include front disc brakes, power steering and heat, all-new front suspension, and a 391 Sure Grip Posi rear end. The sale of this vehicle comes with a full folder of receipts for the restoration and general maintenance paperwork.The Challenger debuted in the fall of 1969 for the 1970 model year. The first-gen was positioned to compete against the Mercury Cougar and Pontiac Firebird in the higher end of the pony car segment. It was also a fairly late response to the Ford Mustang, which was introduced in April of 1964. Nevertheless, the American automaker intended for the Challenger to be the most potent pony car and produced a number of trim and option levels that included virtually every engine in Chrysler's lineup.The 1972 Dodge Challenger received just a few minor changes. For one, the grille sloped down on either side and extended below the bumper, where the headlights were housed in their respective panels. The taillights were also located in two separate housings on each side of the rear valance. The Rally grille and rear tail panel were both blacked out. Shaker hoods were left behind and replaced by either a flat hood or twin dummy scoops. The bumpers were also chromed out instead of being body-colored. Although some options were changed, buyers could still add front and rear spoilers, rear window louvers, and power accessories like seats and door locks. Read More: Peel Out In This Banana Yellow 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Set Of Rare 1971 Challengers Up For Grabs
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| 'Not what your mom sent you:' Teen takes legendary senior photos in a bathrobe Posted: 18 Jul 2019 09:25 AM PDT  Evan Dennison wanted to do something funny for his senior photos. No one believed he would actually do it. Now he is a "legend."
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| Church sign in Virginia says "America: Love or Leave It." Posted: 18 Jul 2019 12:04 PM PDT  ABC 13 in Lynchburg reports hundreds of people have expressed support and opposition on social media to the sign outside Friendship Baptist Church in Appomattox. Pastor E.W. Lucas told the station Tuesday that he wanted to make a statement about the political divisions in Washington. "People that feel hard about our president and want to down the president and down the country and everything, they ought to go over there and live in these other countries for a little while," Lucas said.
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| Pakistan lost $50 million from airspace restrictions: minister Posted: 18 Jul 2019 12:52 PM PDT ![Pakistan lost $50 million from airspace restrictions: minister]( "Pakistan lost $50 million from airspace restrictions: minister") Pakistan's aviation minister on Thursday said that his country suffered loses of over eight billion rupees ($50 million) from airspace restrictions imposed since February which affected hundreds of commercial and cargo flights. Pakistan closed its airspace after an attack by a Pakistan-based militant group in Indian-controlled Kashmir led to clashes between the nuclear-armed powers, adding flight time for passengers and fuel costs for airlines. "Over eight billion rupees worth of losses have been suffered by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority," Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Pakistan's aviation minister told a press conference in Karachi.
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| ‘I saw hate in his eyes’: White security guard pulls gun on black police officer Posted: 17 Jul 2019 01:52 AM PDT  Sheriff's deputy Alan Gaston thought they were on the same side.One man, Mr Gaston, was a high-ranking officer in the Lucas County, Ohio, sheriff's department with 34 years of experience.The other was a security guard contracted to protect an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) office in Toledo.But then the guard pulled his gun. He raised his voice. He put a hand on Mr Gaston's arm and rested his finger on the trigger.In a matter of seconds, what began with a routine errand at the IRS escalated into a frightening standoff between a white security guard and a black police officer, who said he heard hate in the guard's shouts and believed he would be shot."You don't expect to be ambushed by someone who you think is on the same team," Mr Gaston told The Washington Post."I feel there was definitely some racial overtones involved. And I'm not the type of person to throw the race card, I'm just telling you the facts. I looked in his eyes and I saw hate in his eyes."He had stopped by the IRS office during his shift on 31 May to ask a question about a letter the agency sent him.He was in full uniform, his badge and his firearm in clear view.The security guard, identified in court documents as Seth Eklund, asked Mr Gaston to leave his gun in his patrol car.When Mr Gaston replied he couldn't do that, he said Mr Eklund became hostile. Mr Eklund accused Mr Gaston of reaching for his weapon, shouting "get your hands off your gun", even though Mr Gaston said his hands were visible and nowhere near his holster.Mr Gaston, who has years of experience teaching defensive tactics, decided it was time for him to leave.He recalled a wide-eyed elderly couple in the office waiting room watching the exchange, and he said he feared for the bystanders' safety. Mr Gaston turned to go.As he walked out of the cramped office, Mr Eklund drew his gun, trained it on Mr Gaston's back and followed him. At one point, Mr Gaston said, Mr Eklund tried to arrest the uniformed officer."He came around the corner with his weapon out, telling me, 'you had your chance, you're not going anywhere, I'm detaining you'," Gaston said."That's when I was preparing myself to be shot. The hate and anger he had against me, I was getting ready to be shot by this security guard for no reason."Mr Eklund, who could not be reached for comment, pleaded not guilty to one charge of aggravated menacing in a court appearance on Monday.Mr Gaston and his wife have also filed a lawsuit against Mr Eklund and the two security firms that apparently employed him.Representatives of those companies, Paragon Systems and Praetorian Shield, did not respond to requests for comment. The IRS declined to comment.The local news station WTVG published what it claims to be security camera footage of the interaction and The Washington Post obtained screenshots of the video.The images show Mr Gaston backing away and attempting to leave the building in an elevator. But Mr Eklund, gun still drawn, blocks the door with his foot.Mr Gaston says he felt cornered, scared. He took out his phone to take a picture of Mr Eklund, he said, and the security guard finally holstered his weapon.Heather Taylor, president of the Ethical Society of Police in St Louis, said that Mr Eklund behaved recklessly and likely would not have treated a white officer the same way."We know what it's like being an African American police officer in a city," Ms Taylor said. "A lot of us realise that, hey, even though you're in uniform, that doesn't mean you're safe."The tense scene recalled other, infamous incidents with grisly endings. Ms Taylor pointed to the case of Jemel Roberson, a black security guard who was killed by a Midlothian, Illinois, police officer while they both responded to a shooting at the bar where Roberson worked.She also mentioned Detective Jacai Colson in Maryland, who was killed by a fellow officer while working undercover. Mr Colson, according to a lawsuit, had his badge in his hand and was shouting "Police! Police!" before he was killed."You're not given the benefit of the doubt as a minority," Ms Taylor said. "It's something we've been highlighting forever and now here's another example of it."She applauded Mr Gaston's cool demeanour in the face of what she said was potentially lethal bigotry.Mr Gaston said he didn't feel that Mr Eklund respected him as a law enforcement officer, and in more than three decades of police work has never dealt with anything like that.He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression, he said. He's been on medical leave and is seeing a counsellor twice a week. The civil suit Mr Gaston and his wife filed seeks compensation.The standoff between Mr Gaston and Mr Eklund ended, he said, when Toledo police officers responded to a 911 call from inside the building that mentioned a man who has "got a gun" and "won't leave". The caller didn't mention that the man was a police officer.When Toledo police arrived, Mr Gaston recounted, they told Mr Eklund: "You know he's a uniformed deputy sheriff, right? We can go anywhere in this building we want."Washington Post
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| Pope Francis appoints new Vatican spokesman Posted: 18 Jul 2019 09:36 AM PDT  Pope Francis on Thursday appointed a new Vatican spokesman, one of the most demanding PR jobs in the world, charged with grappling with a whirlwind papal schedule and the profound repercussions of the Church's child sex abuse scandal. British-born Matteo Bruni, who has worked in the Holy See Press Office since 2009 and coordinated the press on the pontiff's international trips since 2013, takes over from interim spokesman Alessandro Gisotti. Francis has apologised for predatory priests but cover-ups in the Vatican have severely damaged trust in the centuries-old institution, and there is still much to be done to protect minors from clerical paedophiles.
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| Here’s the Lineup for the Second Democratic Presidential Debate Posted: 17 Jul 2019 03:55 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The Democratic National Committee and CNN unveiled the list of candidates who will take part in the second presidential primary debates of the 2020 election.The debates will take place in Detroit on July 30 and 31 with 10 candidates on each stage. The group participating each night will be selected at random in a live draw on CNN on Thursday. Each night's slate will be designed to feature a mix of high-polling and low-polling contenders.Below are the candidates who have qualified based on the DNC rules.Joe Biden, former vice presidentCory Booker, U.S. senator from New JerseyPete Buttigieg, South Bend, Indiana, mayorJulian Castro, former secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentTulsi Gabbard, U.S. congresswoman from HawaiiKirsten Gillibrand, U.S. senator from New YorkKamala Harris, U.S. senator from CaliforniaJay Inslee, Washington governorAmy Klobuchar, U.S. senator from MinnesotaBeto O'Rourke, former U.S. congressman from TexasBernie Sanders, U.S. senator from VermontElizabeth Warren, U.S. senator from MassachusettsMarianne Williamson, spiritual healerAndrew Yang, entrepreneurMichael Bennet, U.S. senator from ColoradoTim Ryan, U.S. congressman from OhioJohn Hickenlooper, former Colorado governorBill de Blasio, New York City mayorJohn Delaney, former U.S. congressman from MarylandSteve Bullock: Montana governorTo qualify, the DNC required a threshold of at least 1% support in major polls, or 65,000 individual donations from at least 20 states. If more than 20 candidates qualified under at least one criteria, the DNC would decide who to cut.The candidates who won't make the second debate are Seth Moulton, congressman from Massachusetts and Wayne Messam, mayor of Miramar, Florida. Billionaire activist Tom Steyer and former Pennsylvania Representative Joe Sestak, who recently joined the race, didn't qualify because they haven't been included in polls.The contenders have been grouped into three tiers based on polling to ensure that each stage features a mix of top-scoring and lower-scoring candidates. Contenders in each group will be divided evenly over the two nights. The top tier includes Biden, Warren, Sanders and Harris. In the last debate, Warren was the only top-polling candidate on the first night.(Updates with selection procedure in final paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Max Berley in Washington at mberley@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Wendy Benjaminson, Max BerleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Delaware woman who says she was brutally beaten in the Dominican Republic sues resort for $3 million Posted: 18 Jul 2019 04:07 AM PDT  The Delaware woman who claims she was beaten unconscious in the Dominican Republic has sued the resort for $3 million.
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| Asylum seekers waiting in Nuevo Laredo fear lurking dangers Posted: 18 Jul 2019 12:03 PM PDT  The round-faced woman from La Ceiba, Honduras, and her 5- and 12-year-old sons arrived in this city across the border from Laredo, Texas, where she had been promised a job and hoped to build a new life. As the United States tries to slow the flow of mostly Central American migrants and asylum seekers to its southern border and pressures Mexico to assist, months-long stays on the Mexican side of the frontier have become the rule for many. The U.S. government tells its own employees not to set foot in nearly all parts of the state.
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| House Dems Join Republicans to Kill Impeachment Resolution Posted: 18 Jul 2019 05:37 AM PDT  A substantial majority of House Democrats crossed the aisle Wednesday to join Republicans in opposing an impeachment resolution introduced in response to President Trump's attacks on four progressive freshman congresswoman.The resolution, introduced by Representative Al Green (D., Texas), was defeated 332-95, with 137 Democrats voting with Republicans against the measure. Green pressed forward with the impeachment effort despite opposition from Democratic leadership, who counseled their caucus to table the resolution, temporarily killing it."It's time for us to deal with his bigotry. This president has demonstrated that he's willing to yell 'fire' in a crowded theater, and we have seen what can happen to people when bigotry is allowed to have a free rein," Green told reporters Wednesday. "We all ought to go on record. We all ought to let the world know where we stand when we have a bigot in the White House."President Trump celebrated the vote as he arrived in Greenville, N.C. Wednesday evening for a campaign rally."We've just received an overwhelming vote against impeachment and that's the end of it," the president told reporters. He followed up those comments with a tweet in which he called the impeachment effort "the most ridiculous and time consuming project" and said, "This should never be allowed to happen to another President of the United States again!"Pelosi cast the episode as a distraction that would benefit the president politically in comments to reporters Wednesday."You have to give him credit: He's a great distractor," she said.Curiously, Green's impeachment resolution made no mention of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and instead focused solely on the recent attacks Trump has launched against Democratic Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.In her comments to reporters on Wednesday, Pelosi emphasized that her caucus will continue to investigate Trump for possible obstruction of justice and corruption, despite those charges not appearing in the resolution."We have six committees that are working on following the facts in terms of any abuse of power, obstruction of justice and the rest that the president may have engaged in," she said. "That is the serious path that we are on."
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| Ex-chairman of Vietnam's BIDV bank dies in detention Posted: 18 Jul 2019 12:22 AM PDT ![Ex-chairman of Vietnam's BIDV bank dies in detention]( "Ex-chairman of Vietnam's BIDV bank dies in detention") A former head of Vietnam's second largest listed bank, the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), died in detention on Thursday, state media and three sources with direct knowledge of the situation said. Tran Bac Ha was arrested in November last year in a widening crackdown on corruption in the Southeast Asian country, which has seen its Communist-ruled government launch investigations into hundreds of public officials and several executives at state-owned enterprises jailed. Ha had not stood trial and was being held at a military detention center near Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.
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| Teenage girl making sexual abuse claim sexually assaulted by detective dealing with case Posted: 17 Jul 2019 12:29 AM PDT  A Los Angeles County sex crimes investigator accused of raping a teenager after having been assigned to investigate her previous sexual assault allegations has pleaded guilty to lesser charges, and is expected to be sentenced to three years in prison.It was at least the third time the detective, Neil David Kimball of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, was accused of misconduct while on duty, though he was not charged as a result of the first two allegations.District Attorney Gregory Totten of Ventura County, whose office prosecuted the case, said in a statement that Kimball, 46, met the then-15-year-old victim in 2017 when she reported a sexual assault.He befriended her and then sexually assaulted her, according to the statement.Kimball was originally charged with raping the victim while she was tied or bound. Kimball was also accused of "witness intimidation by threat of force".But Patrice Koenig, a spokesperson for the district attorney's office, said that prosecutors later determined they could not prove that Kimball had used force during the encounter, which she said took place in his trailer in Camarillo, in southern Ventura County.The girl did not report the encounter. Rather, when a different officer took over her case about a year later, her father told the new investigator about the assault, Ms Koenig said.Kimball pleaded guilty last week to a lewd act with a child and unlawful sexual intercourse, and is expected to be sentenced to three years in prison at his next appearance, on 8 August. He must also register as a sex offender.In a statement, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that Kimball's pay was suspended in March and that it was seeking to terminate him immediately. A lawyer for Kimball declined to comment.Kimball's plea comes just more than a month after Sara Abusheikh, a Los Angeles fashion designer, wrote in a post on Medium about her experience with the detective after she was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance in 2014, and reported it to the authorities.Kimball was assigned to her case, but she wrote that he never investigated, and instead said wildly inappropriate things to her.Ms Abusheikh wrote that Kimball teased her about going back to her assailant and suggested she "let him make love to you gently"."His only interest in the details of my rape came in the form of perverse, sick questions, and he – most tellingly – suggested he come inside to get high," she wrote.She later filed a restraining order against her assailant, which led Kimball to joke that she was paranoid, she wrote. When she reported his inappropriate behaviour to his supervisor, word got back to Kimball immediately, she added.The next summer, after getting help from a rape treatment centre, she met with the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, which declined to prosecute the case, she wrote.A deputy district attorney told her Kimball was "a fine detective" and insisted there was no evidence to back up her claim, she wrote."And the Special Victims Bureau? It only functioned to protect not one, but two, alleged rapists," Ms Abusheikh concluded in her essay.The Los Angeles County district attorney's office declined to comment on Ms Abusheikh's post.Last year, Ms Abusheikh shared screenshots of text messages she said were from Kimball with The Daily Beast, as well as records of email exchanges with lawyers and patient advocates from the rape treatment centre. She did not return calls or respond to messages seeking further comment.Kimball, a 20-year veteran of the sheriff's department, was assigned to the Special Victims Bureau in 2013, The Los Angeles Times reported.The bureau has been involved in high-profile cases, including accusations by a young actor that he was sexually abused by Asia Argento, a leading figure in the MeToo movement, who had herself accused the producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. She denied the allegations.In 2009, Kimball was investigated for sexual battery but not charged after an episode at a hotel the previous year, The Los Angeles Times reported.According to the report, which was based on a prosecutor's memo, the detective had questioned a group of friends in a parking lot.Afterward, women in the group and Kimball went to a hotel room, where some of the women stripped down to their underwear and got into a hot tub as he encouraged them, the memo stated.It also said that one woman accused the detective of grabbing her hand and trying to place it on his genitals.But no charges were filed. Witnesses gave contradictory statements, there was a lack of evidence and the complainant failed to cooperate with investigators, the memo said.Greg Risling, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County district attorney, confirmed that the office had declined to prosecute Kimball over the hotel incident. In an email, he said that no other cases involving the detective were under review.The Ventura County District Attorney's Office had also urged any additional victims to come forward, Ms Koenig said, but none did so.Asked last year why Kimball was selected to serve in the Special Victims Bureau even after the 2008 hotel allegations, the sheriff's department told The Los Angeles Times it would "conduct a review of the internal process" related to the assignment.The department did not respond to a question about the outcome of that review.Grier Weeks, senior executive at the National Association to Protect Children, a non-profit in Knoxville, Tennessee, that pushes for child protection laws, said that the sentence was too light considering the severity of the crime."There should be more severe penalties for people in positions of authority or trust who assault a child," he said. "It's something that has to be treated as the most serious type of assault."New York Times
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| 'Nobody cares about us': Hunger and despair for India flood victims Posted: 18 Jul 2019 03:42 AM PDT  Chest-deep in brown, flowing monsoon water and holding bags of clothes and utensils above their heads, residents in the Indian state of Bihar are hungry and despairing. "When many of us poor people drown, then the politicians suddenly take notice... But otherwise, nobody cares about us," shopkeeper Raj Majhi told AFP. Majhi's home -- like many others -- is submerged, with only rooftops remaining above floodwaters.
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| From Soup to Salmon: Slow-Cooker Recipes for a Fast and Healthy Dinner Posted: 18 Jul 2019 01:21 PM PDT |
| Former police officer plans to challenge Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2020 Posted: 17 Jul 2019 04:42 AM PDT  Former high school government teacher and police officer John Cummings says the Democrat's surprise primary win inspired him to make his own run for the New York House seat as a Republican.
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| Here's Every Single Mission to the Moon in One Chart Posted: 18 Jul 2019 08:12 AM PDT  The Cold War propelled lunar exploration, but humans last stepped foot on the moon in 1972. Now, a new moon race is on, with new players.
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| Arrested reporter slams conditions at US detention centers Posted: 17 Jul 2019 02:26 PM PDT  A Spanish-language reporter who was recently released from immigration custody said Wednesday he was held for 15 months in detention centers that were plagued by insects and he had to bathe with cold water from water hoses. During a news conference, Manuel Duran discussed what he called inhumane conditions at immigration detention facilities in Louisiana and Alabama. Duran was released from an Alabama facility on bail last week as immigration courts consider his request for asylum.
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| 'I love the tweet': Eric Trump says 95% of Americans agree with his dad's message to love US or leave Posted: 17 Jul 2019 01:25 PM PDT  A USA TODAY/Ipsos poll found support for the president's remarks was far lower than his son's estimate.
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| Russia summons U.S. diplomat in Moscow in protest over visa row Posted: 18 Jul 2019 08:44 AM PDT ![Russia summons U.S. diplomat in Moscow in protest over visa row]( "Russia summons U.S. diplomat in Moscow in protest over visa row") Russia summoned a representative of the U.S. embassy in Moscow on Thursday to issue a protest after U.S. officials alleged Russia had refused visas to teachers at an international school in Moscow, the Russian foreign ministry said. The ministry said in a statement it had not denied the visas, but that teachers at the school were entering Russia under diplomatic visas, despite not being diplomats. It said Russia was ready to issue visas promptly to U.S. diplomatic personnel as soon as Washington started issuing visas promptly to Russian diplomats in the United States.
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| Argentina acts against Hezbollah, blamed for terror attacks Posted: 18 Jul 2019 11:01 AM PDT  Argentina's government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina's capital, killing 85 people. The nation's Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri's government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted. The unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires.
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| Chappaquiddick 50 years on: The car crash that forever tarnished Ted Kennedy Posted: 17 Jul 2019 03:03 PM PDT  He was the handsome young senator from an American political dynasty, widely tipped to win the White House. Heavily favoured to win the Democratic nomination for the presidency, Ted Kennedy looked set to square-off against Republican incumbent Richard Nixon at the 1972 election.But his hopes of emulating his older brother John F Kennedy were irreparably damaged 50 years ago.A car crash in Chappaquiddick would claim the life of a young female political campaigner and forever tarnish his reputation. Here The Independent examines the incident. What happened?On 18 July, 1969, Kennedy, aged 37 at the time, had been attending a party on Chappaquiddick Island, part of the affluent Massachusetts resort Martha's Vineyard.The Massachusetts senator had left the party with Mary Jo Kopechne, a 28-year-old political campaign specialist. He later testified at inquest that she had asked him to drop her back at a hotel.At around midnight, Kennedy's car swerved off a narrow, unlit bridge with no guardrails and plummeted into the Poucha Pond.He escaped the sinking saloon. Kopechne did not. Kennedy claimed he made several attempts to save her before giving up and returning to the party on foot.Later, he said he returned with two friends for another rescue attempt but that was foiled by the strong tide.Ten hours passed before the senator reported the incident to the police, minutes before Kopechne's body was recovered from the vehicle. John Farrar, the diver who recovered the corpse, said he believed she died from suffocation rather than drowning, trapped potentially for hours in a small air pocket inside the car. What action was taken?Just a week after the crash on 25 July, Kennedy pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident and received a suspended two-month prison sentence, the statutory minimum for the offence.His attorneys had argued he should be granted a lenient sentence by the judge, due to his age, character and prior reputation. That night the senator made a speech in which he insisted he had not been driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, as well as denying "widely circulated suspicions of immoral conduct" surrounding his relationship with Kopechne.He described his decision not to immediately report the incident to the police as "indefensible", stating that he was overcome by a "jumble of emotions—grief, fear, doubt, exhaustion, panic, confusion, and shock."An inquest would later conclude there was "probable cause to believe" Kennedy had been operating the vehicle negligently. A tarnished figureKennedy's inaction caused significant damage to his reputation.Prior to the incident, he was popular throughout the country and was seen by many to follow in the footsteps of his brothers, John and Robert, by running for the presidency. Five years before the crash, Kennedy had been re-elected to the senate with 75 per cent of the vote. In an election 15 months after the crash, his margin of victory was reduced to 64 per cent. He did not run in the 1972 or 1976 presidential race, a decision likely taken as a result of Kopechne's death. When Kennedy decided to run in 1980, renewed interest in the Chappaquiddick incident hindered his campaign.His Democratic primary opponent, then-president Jimmy Carter, frequently called into question Kennedy's character by alluding to the events on the resort island. After a failed campaign, Kennedy abandoned his White House dreams. He went on to serve in the Senate for another four decades until his death.In Kennedy's posthumous memoir, True Compass, he called the incident a "horrible tragedy that haunts me every day of life." The Edward M Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, a body created in honour of his 47 years of service in the Senate, has no plans to commemorate the incident and the death of Kopechne.
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| At least 11 dead in Taliban attack on Afghan police HQ Posted: 18 Jul 2019 10:30 AM PDT  At least 11 people were killed and scores more wounded Thursday when the Taliban attacked a police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar, officials and the insurgents said. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said the afternoon attack in Afghanistan's second-largest city started with a car bomb, then saw gunmen storm the police compound. Baheer Ahmadi, the Kandahar governor's spokesman, said in a statement that 11 people had been killed, including nine civilians and two police officers, while another 80 -- including women and children -- were wounded.
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| France turns down citizenship for immigrant nurse because she 'works too much' Posted: 18 Jul 2019 06:27 AM PDT  France has rejected an immigrant nurse's application for citizenship on the grounds that she was working too many hours a week in breach of the statutory 35-hour week and strict limits on overtime. The nurse, whose name and nationality have not been made public, holds three jobs and averages 59 hours a week, which the authorities said placed her "in violation of regulations on working time in France". The 35-hour rule introduced under a Socialist government in 2000 gave France one of the world's shortest working weeks, but it has since been loosened and employees may be permitted to work up to 48 hours a week including overtime. The Préfecture in Val-de Marne, near Paris, said in a letter to the nurse that it was "postponing" her naturalisation application for two years. The letter was posted on social media by one of her friends, Nicolas Delage. "I find this scandalous," Mr Delage told the online newspaper 20 Minutes. "One reason for granting [French] nationality is work. She is not stealing anyone's work." Sanjay Navy, a lawyer, said immigrants were often denied naturalisation for working too many hours. "I've seen similar cases before this. This is not an isolated decision." Mr Navy said he had seen a number of naturalisation applications by security guards turned down because they had multiple employers and worked too many hours. According to the most recent official figures, some 63,000 immigrants were granted French citizenship in 2017. The French are bitterly divided over the 35-hour week, which became a campaign issue in the 2017 presidential election. The unsuccessful conservative candidate, François Fillon, promised to abolish it, arguing that it caused economic stagnation. Emmanuel Macron, the victorious centrist, has stopped short of scrapping it but has introduced greater flexibility for companies to negotiate longer hours with staff. An economy ministry report in April which revealed that more than 300,000 civil servants work less than 35 hours a week caused outrage among private-sector employees, many of whom say they regularly work longer hours to achieve their targets. A baker in northern France was fined €3,000 (£2,700) last year for breaching legal limits on work hours by opening his bakery seven days a week. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings.
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| PHOTOS: Rebuilding Notre Dame Posted: 17 Jul 2019 11:14 AM PDT  Three months after a fire ravaged Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, a rare glimpse inside the burned masterpiece on Wednesday revealed it to be eerily empty and with rubble still littering the nave. Paris prosecutors said in June that a poorly stubbed-out cigarette or an electrical fault could have started the fire and opened an investigation into criminal negligence, without targeting any individual.
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| Flynn had $4.6M unpaid legal tab, records show Posted: 18 Jul 2019 08:04 AM PDT  Law firm Covington & Burling took on Trump's ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn in early 2017, when his lobbying and consulting work came under scrutiny.
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| Trump says U.S. destroyed Iranian drone that was threatening Navy ship USS Boxer Posted: 18 Jul 2019 03:08 PM PDT  Trump said the drone was threatening a U.S. ship and was "immediately destroyed."
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| Pakistan price squeeze hits middle class as well as poor Posted: 18 Jul 2019 02:20 AM PDT ![Pakistan price squeeze hits middle class as well as poor]( "Pakistan price squeeze hits middle class as well as poor") Prime Minister Imran Khan's government faces mounting pressure as rising prices and tough austerity policies under Pakistan's latest bailout from the International Monetary Fund are squeezing the middle class that helped carry it to power. Rashid Mehmood owns a small shop selling children's clothing in Aabpara, the oldest market in the capital, Islamabad. In normal times, Mehmood's store serves the kind of middle-class shoppers who in recent years have been behind an import-led consumption splurge that propped up growth and helped hide the problems of an economy riddled with inefficiency and without a strong export base.
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| The Latest: Arkansas state police ID sheriff's deputy killed Posted: 18 Jul 2019 01:30 PM PDT ![The Latest: Arkansas state police ID sheriff's deputy killed]( "The Latest: Arkansas state police ID sheriff's deputy killed") Arkansas State Police have identified a sheriff's deputy killed in a shooting in northern Arkansas as Sergeant Mike Stephen. State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said Stephen responded to a domestic welfare check at a house in Leslie, about 77 miles (124 kilometers) from Little Rock, around 8:40 Thursday morning. Stephen was killed at the scene.
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| I was a military doctor. The Pentagon's plan to cut doctors will make whole system worse. Posted: 18 Jul 2019 04:00 AM PDT  As an Army physician, I earned my patients' trust by serving side-by-side with them. Now,
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| Mexico says migrant numbers down but warns of impending crisis Posted: 17 Jul 2019 01:52 PM PDT  The number of undocumented migrants entering Mexico in the hope of reaching the United States dropped by almost a third in June, the foreign office said Wednesday, warning that a crisis was still on the way if the numbers didn't fall further. Some 100,000 people, mostly Central Americans, entered Mexico in June, compared with 144,000 the month before, Deputy Foreign Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean Maximiliano Reyes told reporters. Under the threat of export tariffs from Washington if it doesn't stem the flow of undocumented migrants towards the US, Mexico deployed thousands of troops and police at its borders in June and ramped up detentions and deportations.
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| ‘Quite phenomenal’: Arctic heatwave hits most northerly settlement in world Posted: 17 Jul 2019 03:09 AM PDT  The planet's most northerly human settlement is in the midst of an "unprecedented" heatwave as parts of the Arctic endure one of their hottest summers on record.Canada's weather agency confirmed on Tuesday that temperatures in Alert, Nunavut, peaked at 21C at the weekend – far exceeding the July average for the area of around 5C.Overnight temperatures on Sunday remained above 15C; again, well in excess of nighttime lows that usually hover around freezing in a settlement that lies less than 900km from the North Pole.The previous temperature record for the town, of 20C, was set in 1956.In a further alarm bell for the region, the mercury climbed above 20C for a second day on Monday – the first time Alert's climate station has recorded two consecutive days of 20C-plus temperatures in its history.Alert is the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world – with a population numbering less than 100 – and is far to the north of the Arctic Circle.David Phillips, Environment Canada's chief climatologist, said the weather in the far north of Canada was "quite spectacular" and "unprecedented".He told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: "It's nothing that you would have ever seen." Armel Castellan, a meteorologist at the Canadian environment ministry, told AFP the extreme weather was "quite phenomenal"."It's an absolute record, we've never seen that before," he said.Unusually, Victoria, 4,000km south of Alert, enjoyed cooler temperatures of 20.6C while the Arctic settlement baked.Tyler Hamilton, a meteorologist at The Weather Network, said: "These two communities have a staggering amount of lines of latitude in between them, with the City of Victoria situated at 48°N, while Alert is plopped north of 82°N."This is in fact the first time a temperature warmer than 20C has been measured north of 80° on the planet."Alert's heatwave comes as nearby Alaska saw its own record temperatures earlier this month.Anchorage, the state's largest city, sweltered in 32C on 4 July – shattering the seasonal high of around 24C.Other local records were set across southern Alaska and came after five weeks of above average temperatures in the outlying US state.Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the University of Alaska, said at the time that exceptionally warm weather events would only become more frequent because of the loss of sea ice and warming in the Arctic Ocean."These kinds of extreme weather events become much more likely in a warming world," he said."Surface temperatures are above normal everywhere around Alaska. The entire Gulf of Alaska, in the Bering Sea, in the Chukchi Sea south of the ice edge, exceptionally warm waters, warmest on record, and of course record-low sea ice extent for this time of year off the north and northwest coasts of the state."Research published at the start of the year found Arctic summers may be hotter than they have been for 115,000 years.Evidence that this century is the warmest the region has faced for millennia came from plants collected in the remote wilderness of Baffin Island.As glaciers melt in the Canadian Arctic, landscapes are emerging that have not been ice-free for more than 40,000 years."The Arctic is currently warming two to three times faster than the rest of the globe," said Simon Pendleton, a PhD student at the University of Colorado at Boulder who led the research.
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| This Dyson cordless vacuum deal for $150 is better than anything from Prime Day Posted: 18 Jul 2019 09:07 AM PDT  There's nothing quite like a Dyson cordless vacuum. There's also nothing quite as expensive as a Dyson cordless vacuum. That's why it's so important to find a good deal if you really want a Dyson, and it doesn't get much better than this one. Amazon is offering a killer one day sale that slashes the price of renewed Dyson V6 Motorhead Cord Free Vacuums to just $149.99. This deal definitely could sell out, so grab one while you can!Here are the bullet points from the product page: * 75% more brush bar power than the V6 Cord-free vacuum * Cord-free. Hassle-free. Quickly and easily clean when you need to * Up to 20 minutes of continuous suction. Trigger releases instantly. Also features max power mode - which provides up to 6 minutes of higher suction for more difficult tasks * The Direct-drive cleaner head drives bristles deeper into the carpet to remove even more dirt. 15 cyclones, arranged across two tiers, work in parallel to increase airflow and capture fine dust * Quickly convert to a handheld for quick clean ups, spot cleaning and cleaning difficult places. Includes convenient docking station that stores and charges the machine, and holds additional attachments. So it's always ready to go * This Certified Refurbished product is manufacturer refurbished, shows limited or no wear, includes all original accessories, and a 6 month Dyson limited warranty against original defects in materials & workmanship; warranty covers private household use in accordance with the owner's manual
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| Puerto Rico: thousands protest governor's sexist and homophobic texts Posted: 17 Jul 2019 07:46 PM PDT  * Ricardo Rosselló resisting calls to resign over leaked messages * Ricky Martin and other performers join crowds on streets of San JuanThousands marched in Puerto Rico to demand the resignation of Rossello. Photograph: Eric Rojas/AFP/Getty ImagesAccompanied by some of Puerto Rico's most famous performers, thousands of people marched to the governor's residence in San Juan on Wednesday chanting demands for the embattled governor, Ricardo Rosselló, to resign after the leak of online chats that show him making misogynistic slurs and mocking his constituents.The crowd ranged from teenagers to retirees, with some waving the island's flag printed in black and gray rather than red, white and blue to symbolize their discontent with a government they call corrupt and unresponsive to its people. Musicians Ricky Martin, Residente and Bad Bunny marched and addressed the crowd.Police erected concrete barricades and shop owners covered store windows with metal sheeting or plywood as if a hurricane were coming. The multicolored umbrellas that form a photogenic awning over the street in front of the governor's mansion were taken down.The turnout filled several city blocks in colonial Old San Juan but appeared to fall short of the many tens of thousands that some Rosselló opponents had predicted. Many older protesters went home before nightfall as chanting young people filled Old San Juan's Totem Plaza and the first few blocks leading up to the 16th century fortress where the governor resides.Karla Villalon has three elementary-age children and an 81-year-old grandmother. Her kids have been uprooted twice in two years when first one school, then another, was closed by budget cuts under Rosselló. Her grandmother, a retired teacher, is anguished over the possibility of losing her pension in future rounds of cutbacks.Villalon was outraged when Rosselló's former education secretary was arrested and accused of steering millions in improper contracts to politically connected contractors. Then hundreds of pages of online chats between Rosselló and members of his administration leaked, revealing the men mocking women, the disabled and victims of Hurricane Maria. Villalon has had enough."It's the final straw," the homemaker said before the march. "My kids' classrooms have mold in them ... There's just so much outrage that's been building over time."Demonstrators chant and wave Puerto Rican flags in San Juan. Photograph: Gabriella N Baez/ReutersThe Rosselló administration has remained under siege since the weekend after leaked text messages between the governor and a number of his inner circle revealed a slew of misogynist and homophobic comments shared between the group.A number of senior members of the administration have already resigned in the wake of the scandal, but on Monday Rosselló refused to tender his resignation, claiming that while the messages were inappropriate they were not illegal."I'm not proud of what I did," Rosselló told reporters on Tuesday. "Those were merely comments – but they were hurtful comments. So, I apologize for what I've done but again, I need to move forward and continue on the work we're doing for Puerto Rico."The affair only adds to sustained criticism of Rosselló's leadership as sweeping austerity and privatization measures imposed after Hurricane Maria decimated the island almost two years ago drew public backlash.Puerto Rico, an unincorporated US territory, is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar debt crisis now managed by an unelected oversight board appointed in Washington that oversees much of the island's economic affairs.Shortly before the text message scandal, referred to as "RickyLeaks", a number of administration officials and contractors, including the former education secretary Julia Keleher, were arrested by the FBI over allegations of corruption and misappropriation of $15.5m in federal funds apportioned to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.Workers cover shop windows with wood in preparation for protests against Governor Ricardo Rosselló near La Fortaleza in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Wednesday. Photograph: Carlos Giusti/APKey figures in the movement to oust Rosselló remained hopeful that the protests on Wednesday would remain peaceful.A number of high-profile Puerto Ricans, including the actor and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, singer Ricky Martin and trap artist Benito Martínez Ocasio, known by his stage name Bad Bunny, have also lent vocal support to the protests. Martin and Ocasio are expected to appear at the protests.San Juan's firebrand mayor, Carmen Yulín Cruz, an outspoken critic of Rosselló, told the Guardian by text message the demonstrations would mark "a historic day in Puerto Rico".Cruz, who announced she would challenge Rosselló in elections next year, became the face of resistance to the Trump administration's faltering efforts to assist during the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Maria.Both Mayor Cruz and Ricky Martin also appeared as targets of abuse in the leaked text messages.According to the messages, Rosselló referred to Cruz as "off her meds" while other administration officials mocked Martin's sexuality.
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| View Photos of the Lexus GXOR Concept Posted: 18 Jul 2019 09:59 AM PDT |
| ‘I am disgusted’: New Yorkers react to Trump telling congresswomen to ‘go back’ to their countries Posted: 18 Jul 2019 01:14 PM PDT  New Yorkers, like much of the country, have some strong opinions about the latest controversy engulfing President Trump. "I am disgusted at the Republicans," said Randi, of Manhattan. "I can't believe no one stands up to him. I thought of myself as independent, and I'm forced into being a Democrat."
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| 'Go back to their country:' Naperville Bucky's cashier fired after questioning customers' citizenship Posted: 18 Jul 2019 10:25 AM PDT  A cashier no longer works at a Naperville gas station after a video showed him questioning Hispanic customers' citizenship.
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| Man accused in Des Moines triple homicide returned to US twice after deportation, ICE says Posted: 18 Jul 2019 09:20 AM PDT  "Escobar-Orellana, aka, Marvin O. Esquivel-Lopez, was previously (deported) from the United States in 2010 and again in 2011," an ICE spokesman said.
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| Hawaii telescope protesters don't back down after arrests Posted: 18 Jul 2019 03:36 PM PDT  Protesters didn't back down from their long-running effort to stop construction of a $1.4 billion telescope, blocking a road Thursday to the top of a mountain sacred to some Native Hawaiians a day after authorities arrested nearly three dozen people. The state Supreme Court has given the green light to the project that would put one of the world's most powerful telescopes atop Mauna Kea on the Big Island. Gov. David Ige has signed an emergency proclamation to broaden the state's power to keep activists off Hawaii's tallest peak.
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