| The Latest: Iran, France race to save nuclear deal Posted: 02 Sep 2019 08:12 AM PDT  French and Iranian experts were huddling in Paris as the clock ticks on an end-of-the-week deadline for Europe to come up with a way for Iran to sell its oil despite U.S. sanctions — or face a new scaling back of the 2015 nuclear accord. A visit on Monday by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and a team of economists was wrapped in discretion. The meeting coincided with a Moscow visit by Iran's foreign minister, who made an exceptional appearance in Biarritz last week on the sidelines of the G-7 summit.
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| Six bodies recovered after flash flood in Kenya national park Posted: 02 Sep 2019 12:43 AM PDT  Kenyan authorities said Monday they have recovered the bodies of six of seven members of a tour group who were killed in a flash flood at the Hell's Gate national park. "Six bodies of the flash flood victims have been recovered, leaving one tourist missing," the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said on Twitter. The KWS manages the park, the location of the 2003 film "Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life".
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| Hong Kong neighborhoods echo with late night cries for freedom Posted: 02 Sep 2019 05:18 AM PDT  Every night at 10 p.m., Hong Kong neighborhoods and university dorms echo with pro-democracy and anti-government chants, the latest form of protest in the Chinese-ruled city where a civil disobedience movement has been going on for more than 12 weeks. Over the past week, residents were seen out on their balconies or opening their windows to shout "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times", "Ga Yao!" - a Cantonese expression of encouragement often translated as "Add oil" - or simply vent expletives toward police and the government. "Some people may think it's naive," said Torres Fong, 22, a Hong Kong Baptist University student who joins the shouting from his dorm room every night.
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| 7 dead, 22 injured in Odessa, Texas, shooting: Here's what we know now Posted: 01 Sep 2019 08:23 PM PDT  The shooting occurred between Odessa and Midland, Texas, after a routine traffic stop turned violent around 3 p.m. local time Saturday.
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| ‘Time Is Running Out’: The 2020 Democratic Race Is About to Get Serious Posted: 02 Sep 2019 03:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The unofficial end of summer kicks off a more intense phase of a Democratic presidential race that has been led by moderate Joe Biden, with progressives Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in a battle for second as the rest of the sprawling field struggles to break through."There's a real sense that time is running out after Labor Day," said Alex Conant, a public relations consultant who was a top aide on the 2016 presidential campaign of Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican. "Voters become more engaged. Before Labor Day most voters are content to watch the show. After Labor Day they start picking a team."He added, "Especially if you're a second- or third-tier candidate who's been waiting to make a move, the time is now."Democrats have essentially culled the field to a four-person race with a few wild cards showing signs of life and others hanging by a thread. Party members are eager to nominate a candidate they believe can beat President Donald Trump, keeping Biden atop polls even amid concerns about his age and propensity for gaffes. Sanders and Warren are behind, splitting Democrats hungry for swift and far-reaching progressive change, while Kamala Harris has settled into a distant fourth place.No one else is polling above 10% in a field that has in recent weeks dwindled from 24 to 19.At the same time, the economy remains strong but shows signs of sputtering that make Trump allies nervous.The upcoming debate Sept. 12 in Houston will be the first time all the front-runners are on the stage together. Many are anticipating a confrontation between Biden and Warren, who've never shared the podium but have a contentious history and represent a stark choice between the moderate and liberal wings of the party.Over the summer, Warren was the only top-tier candidate who avoided any clashes with her main rivals, steering clear of the fights over Medicare for All and 1970s segregation that saw Biden, Sanders and Harris all squabbling.Can Biden's Lead Hold?So far, Biden's resilient lead has defied critics who suggested that the third-time presidential candidate was on track for another flameout. Unlike during his previous campaigns, defeating Trump is the overarching goal for many Democrats and Biden benefits from a perception that he's best-positioned to recapture the swing states that Democrats lost in 2016.Voters "kind of know he's the guy who can win important swing voters," said John Anzalone, Biden's pollster and adviser. "They feel like there's too much risk in some of the candidates who might be considered more left."Some Democrats roll their eyes at Biden's "electability" argument, saying the lack of intensity behind his campaign risks the party being unable to galvanize voters behind a fresh vision."Oh, Democrats. It's so painful. We're so inside our own heads," said Rebecca Katz, a progressive strategist. "Democrats are so desperate to win that we don't even trust our own judgment. Maybe instead of making some giant calculation of who could win what vote, vote for the person who inspires you."After Harris, there's Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who has raked in vast sums of money but remains stuck in fifth. Five other candidates will complete at the Houston debate but they're all placing under 3% in the polls.Another candidate could yet vault into the top tier. Lower-polling candidates on the September debate stage – including Cory Booker, Julian Castro and Beto O'Rourke – are better positioned to create or take advantage of an opportunity.Several candidates who might have been formidable in a different climate have already dropped out, including Washington Governor Jay Inslee and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.No Repeat of 2016The Democratic National Committee has eagerly tried to prevent the perception that it's putting its thumb on the scale like it did for Hillary Clinton in 2016. But that hasn't stopped some struggling candidates from grumbling about its rules."I feel very excited about where we are now. We've got a deep field, we are talking about the issues and that's what we're supposed to be doing," DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in an interview. "The energy is everywhere."Henry Singleton, an NAACP member from New York City said Harris is "a force" but he worries she'd suffer the same fate as Clinton did in 2016."Our people are very comfortable with him, with his demeanor," Singleton said of Biden. He just has a flair. And I think he would be the one to really, really go after Donald Trump in the debates."Democrats could come to demand more of Biden as a growing number of polls show other Democrats could beat Trump.In a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 54% of registered voters said they'd vote for Biden, while 38% said they would vote for Trump. But Sanders would also win the popular vote, 53% to 39%; as would Warren at 52% to 40%, Harris at 51% to 40%, and Buttigieg at 49% to 40%."One of the overwhelming things I hear about Joe Biden is that he definitely acts and talks his age — which isn't necessarily a bad thing for some voters, but for other voters, especially for younger voters, is not appealing," said Bryce Smith, the chairman of the Dallas County Democratic Party in Iowa, just outside Des Moines."He might have some really good ideas," he said, "but the way he talks about them may not be as motivating or energizing as Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders who are similar in age."\--With assistance from Emma Kinery.To contact the reporters on this story: Sahil Kapur in Washington at skapur39@bloomberg.net;Jennifer Epstein in Washington at jepstein32@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| U.S. Coast Guard braces for Hurricane Dorian Posted: 02 Sep 2019 05:01 AM PDT  The U.S. Coast Guard warns the public to take this storm very seriously. There's no guarantee that they will be able to be there for anyone who gets caught inside Hurricane Dorian.
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| Bolsonaro ambassador threatens to choke Macron and insults wife Brigitte amid Amazon fires row: 'He sleeps with a dragon' Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:56 AM PDT  Brazil's tourism ambassador has threatened to choke Emmanuel Macron and called his wife Brigitte "ugly" amid a continuing war of words between the French president and the Brazilian government over the fires in the Amazon rainforest.In a video posted on social media, Renzo Gracie accused Mr Macron, who has criticised Brazil's response to the devastating blazes, of "talking rubbish" about his country.
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| Afghan killer sparks far-right criticism in France Posted: 01 Sep 2019 10:04 AM PDT  Jacquet said the knifeman had been first registered in France in 2009 as a minor, but travelled to Germany, Norway, Britain and Italy before returning to France in 2016 where he was granted temporary residency rights. France has been the victim of a string of Islamist-inspired terror attacks since 2015 that have cost hundreds of lives.
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| Dorian triggers massive flooding across Bahamas; at least 5 dead Posted: 02 Sep 2019 12:45 PM PDT  Forecasters warned that Dorian could generate a storm surge as high as 23 feet.
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| Photos of Volvo Truck with Banksy's Artwork Posted: 02 Sep 2019 11:15 AM PDT |
| US promotes free and open Indo-Pacific at naval exercise Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:50 AM PDT  A senior U.S. naval officer underlined Washington's commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific as the United States on Monday launched its first joint naval exercise with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Rear Adm. Kenneth Whitesell spoke at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN-U.S. Maritime Exercise at the Sattahip naval base in eastern Thailand.
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| Italian police seize German rescue ship, say migrants to disembark Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:55 AM PDT ![Italian police seize German rescue ship, say migrants to disembark]( "Italian police seize German rescue ship, say migrants to disembark") Italian police on Monday seized a German migrant rescue ship that had been stranded at sea for a week with more than 100 migrants aboard, and will disembark the migrants soon, a police spokesman said. The ship's captain had earlier set course for the port of Pozzallo, on the island of Sicily, sparking a new standoff between rescuers and Italy's interior minister just as he looks set to lose his job. Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League, signed a decree last week banning the Eleonore from entering Italian waters as part of his closed-door policy on migrants arriving by boat from north Africa.
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| ‘We are one’: Community vows to heal as police investigate motive for West Texas shootings Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:57 PM PDT  The West Texas rampage left seven people dead and 25 people injured, including a 17-month-old girl who suffered major facial injuries but survived.
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| Rep. Ocasio-Cortez slams 'Straight Pride' parade Posted: 01 Sep 2019 09:03 AM PDT  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rebuked Boston's "Straight Pride" parade and its apparent lack of female participants, calling it an "'I-Struggle-With-Masculinity' parade."
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| Iranian official mocks Trump with 'good morning selfie' after president tweets out image from secret intelligence briefing Posted: 01 Sep 2019 06:41 AM PDT  Donald Trump has found himself trolled on Twitter by a top Iranian official after he controversially tweeted a classified photograph taken by a US surveillance satellite.The US president posted the high-resolution aerial image of a smouldering launch pad surrounded by a plume of black smoke - complete with annotations - late on Friday, apparently the result of a failed rocket catching fire at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran's Semnan province.
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| ICC prosecutor ordered to reopen Gaza flotilla case Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:17 AM PDT  The International Criminal Court on Monday ordered the tribunal's prosecutor for a second time to reconsider whether to press charges over a deadly Israeli raid on a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza in 2010. In the latest step in a long-running legal battle at the court in The Hague, appeals judges told prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to decide by December whether to reopen the case. Nine Turkish citizens died in May 2010 when Israeli marines stormed the Mavi Marmara, among eight ships trying to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
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| Hurricane Dorian: millions in coastal US warned to 'get out now' ahead of storm Posted: 02 Sep 2019 10:48 AM PDT  Officials in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas on Monday issued mandatory evacuation orders as 155mph winds batter BahamasPeople check out the waves in the ocean as Hurricane Dorian continues to make its way toward the Florida coast on Monday in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThe islands of the northern Bahamas continued to receive a pounding from Hurricane Dorian's 155mph winds on Monday before the most powerful Atlantic cyclone of modern times set its sights on the US mainland, forcing millions of coastal residents there to flee inland to safety.Officials in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas on Monday issued mandatory evacuation orders ahead of the expected midweek arrival of the unpredictable monster storm.Strong winds were already battering the coast on Monday afternoon north of Miami, and Floridians on the eastern edge of the state are braced for risky tropical storm conditions from the early hours of Tuesday onwards even if the hurricane does not make landfall on the US mainland but passes within a few dozen miles.A home in the Tropical Acres Mobile Home Park, an area that is under mandatory evacuation with Hurricane Dorian off the coast of Florida, in Jensen Beach. Photograph: Adam Delgiudice/AFP/Getty ImagesAt a Monday morning press conference, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, warned residents of his state to "remain vigilant" and urged those in coastal evacuation zones from Palm Beach to the Georgia border to relocate inland."Get out now while you have time, while there's fuel available and you'll be safe on the roads," he said.He added: "We're going to have some impacts one way or the other. Hopefully by tonight we'll have a sense of [Dorian's] movement, and once we see the definitive movement north that's going to allow us to even more concisely identify the places along Florida's coast that are most at risk."Dorian has already left a trail of "unprecedented destruction" during its slow two-day crawl through Abaco Island and Grand Bahama, in the archipelago off Florida's south-east coast.A road is flooded during the passing of Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Photograph: Tim Aylen/APWith wind gusts above 200mph and a storm surge of more than 20ft, Dorian tore into the islands, destroying or severely damaging more than 13,000 homes, according to the Red Cross, and claiming at least one life, a seven-year-old boy who drowned in Abaco."Based on information out of Abaco, the devastation is unprecedented," Hubert Minnis, the Bahamas prime minister, said in a tweet."Dorian remains an extremely dangerous storm. Our focus right now is rescue, recovery and prayer."Residents in the Bahamas shared videos on social media showing scenes of catastrophic winds, torrential rain and flooding. There were also unconfirmed reports of bodies seen in Abaco that officials said first responders would investigate when conditions allowed.After parking itself over Grand Bahama for almost nine hours on Monday, Dorian was expected to pick up speed overnight and move north-west towards Florida's east coast, then turn north on a path closer to Georgia and the Carolinas by midweek.A lifeguard tower is removed in preparation for Hurricane Dorian as the storm approaches the Florida coast on Saturday. Photograph: David Santiago/APDespite weakening slightly to a category 4 storm on Monday, experts at the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned of "life-threatening storm surges and dangerous hurricane force winds", even if the centre of Dorian follows its predicted path of remaining out at sea."It cannot be stressed enough that only a small deviation could bring the core of the extremely dangerous hurricane onshore of the Florida east coast," Daniel Brown, a senior hurricane expert at the NHC, said in a late-morning advisory."In addition, Dorian's wind field is predicted to expand, which would bring hurricane-force winds to the east coast even if the track does change."Experts have acknowledged that this storm's precise course has been more difficult than most to plot, partly due to quickly changing patterns of steering atmospheric ridges in the Atlantic. At 11am on Monday, Dorian was still 110 miles east of West Palm Beach, home to Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, and plodding slowly west at 1mph, with hurricane force winds extending 45 miles from its core.In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster announced the evacuation of eight coastal counties, affecting more than 800,000 residents, adding to earlier orders issued for large numbers of counties along the coasts of central and north Florida and Georgia.Elderly citizens are evacuated from an assisted living community ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Dorian in Kissimmee, Florida. Photograph: Gregg Newton/ReutersEvacuations in Florida included a number of hospitals and dozens of nursing homes and assisted living facilities along the coast.Dorian marked the fourth consecutive year that at least one Atlantic cyclone had reached category 5 status, denoting sustained winds topping 157mph, according to the NHC. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 followed a similar offshore track to Dorian's expected path yet still caused hundreds of billions of dollars of damage in the US and 47 deaths.In 2017 Irma and Maria ripped through the Caribbean, the latter blamed for more than 3,000 deaths in Puerto Rico. Last year's Hurricane Michael wrecked areas of the Florida Panhandle that are still struggling to recover.There is growing evidence that the climate crisis, through the warming of the atmosphere and higher sea temperatures, is contributing to a pattern of fiercer, more destructive hurricanes.Meanwhile, the UK's Ministry of Defence announced that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary support vessel Mounts Bay, which has been in Caribbean since June, would shortly arrive in the Bahamas to help with recovery efforts.
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| Santa Cruz boat fire: fight to save lives as 34 people trapped below deck Posted: 02 Sep 2019 08:32 AM PDT  Up to 34 people are feared dead after a scuba diving boat caught fire in the middle of the night and sunk off the coast of California. Five crew members who were already awake when the blaze begun around 3am were able to escape but the other passengers were trapped in the sleeping quarters below deck. Firemen in helicopters, small boats and a US Coast Guard cutter spent hours tackling the blaze and searching for survivors after being alerted in a mayday call. However the blaze was so intense that it kept relighting after appearing to have been extinguished, perhaps due to the fuel on board. Search and rescue teams were scouring the surrounding waters yesterday but hope was fading of finding survivors. A spokesman for the county said there had been "numerous fatalities". Images of the dive boat "Conception" - Five people were rescued and 34 more are missing after a fire broke out on a boat early Monday morning near Santa Cruz Island Credit: Universal News And Sport (Europe) The commercial diving vessel, called the Conception, was 75-foot (23-meters) long. It had been anchored in Platt's Harbor, about 20 yards (18 meters) off the northern coast of Santa Cruz Island. It had been on a three-day cruise to the Channel Islands during Labor Day weekend. Monday was a bank holiday in America. Details about the fire are still emerging and the cause is unknown. A mayday call was only made once the blaze was out of control. Aaron Bemis, a US Coast Guard chief, told CNN that rescuers had been told there were 34 passengers in the sleeping quarters below who were trapped by the fire. "The fire was so intense that even after it was put out, we're not able to actually embark the vessel and look for survivors at this point," he said on Monday morning. Fire fighters tackle the blaze on the ship near Santa Cruz Island Credit: VENTURA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX Monica Rochester, a US Coast Guard captain, said in a brief news conference that the vessel eventually sank in 64 feet of water, but its bow was still visible above the waterline. Asked if the crew tried to help others aboard, Ms Rochester said: "I don't have any additional information." The Conception was operated by Worldwide Diving Adventures, a respected Santa Barbara-based company that says on its website it has been taking divers on expeditions since 1972. Asked if the boat operator has a history of any violations, Ms Rochester said: "The vessel has been in full compliance." The Conception had departed at 4am on Saturday with plans to return at 5pm on Monday. It was outfitted with dozens of small berths for people to sleep in overnight. Bill Nash, a spokesman for Ventura County, told CNN that there were "numerous fatalities" but did not give a number. No passengers have yet been named.
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| Seventh illegal immigrant accused of sex crimes in Maryland county in 5 weeks Posted: 02 Sep 2019 03:48 AM PDT  A seventh suspect in the U.S. illegally has been accused of sexual assault in Maryland's sanctuary Montgomery County. Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins sounds off..
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| UPDATE 1-China lodges tariff case at WTO against the U.S. Posted: 02 Sep 2019 07:27 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-China lodges tariff case at WTO against the U.S.]( "UPDATE 1-China lodges tariff case at WTO against the U.S.") HONG KONG/GENEVA, Sept 2 (Reuters) - China has lodged a complaint against the United States at the World Trade Organization over U.S. import duties, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said on Monday. The United States began imposing 15% tariffs on a variety of Chinese goods on Sunday and China began imposing new duties on U.S. crude oil, the latest escalation in their trade war. China did not release details of its legal case but said the U.S. tariffs affected $300 billion of Chinese exports.
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| Which of These Doomsday Scenarios Is Most Likely to Kill Us All? Posted: 02 Sep 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| Tens of thousands in Hong Kong boycott first day of school Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:50 AM PDT  Clad in gas masks along with their formal white school uniforms, tens of thousands of students in Hong Kong boycotted the first day of classes Monday as part of a citywide strike following a violent weekend of demonstrations. High school students added gas masks, goggles and hard hats to their traditional uniforms, while university pupils crowded into a square at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The young protesters strove to demonstrate their continued determination with Monday's school boycott, the first of a planned two-day strike.
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| 5 dead, 21 wounded in mass shooting in Midland-Odessa, Texas; shooter killed Posted: 01 Sep 2019 09:39 AM PDT  At least five people have been killed and 21 injured in Midland, Texas. The shooter was shot and killed by police. The incident started with a traffic violation. The driver opened fire on the officer and fled the scene.
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| It's now Biden, Warren, Sanders — and everyone else Posted: 02 Sep 2019 03:38 PM PDT ![It's now Biden, Warren, Sanders — and everyone else]( "It's now Biden, Warren, Sanders — and everyone else") 'It's too late in the game to keep saying it's too early,' a former Hillary Clinton adviser says of the Democratic presidential primary.
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| Iranian tanker blacklisted by US off Lebanon, Syria coasts Posted: 02 Sep 2019 08:43 AM PDT  The Iranian tanker Adrian Darya 1 blacklisted by the United States has been off the coast of Lebanon and Syria for the past 24 hours, maritime monitors said on Monday. The vessel has been zigzagging in the eastern Mediterranean since it was released from the British overseas territory of Gibraltar on August 18, after being held for six weeks on suspicion it was delivering oil for Tehran's ally Damascus. "The Adrian Darya 1 has stopped just 45 nautical miles (83km/52 miles) west of Tripoli, Lebanon, in international waters," TankerTrackers, a maritime traffic monitoring website said.
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| Five dead in Bahamas from Dorian as storm threatens US coast Posted: 01 Sep 2019 08:44 PM PDT  Five people have been killed by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, the nation's prime minister has revealed, as Donald Trump spent part of the day playing golf.As the category 4 storm pummelled the Bahamas with 145mph winds, triggering huge damage and massive flooding, the nation's prime minister said at least five people had been killed.
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| We need Unions for All. It's a bold agenda for helping everyone get ahead in our economy. Posted: 02 Sep 2019 05:43 AM PDT  We need serious plans to empower all workers to form unions, no matter what job they do. 'Unions for All' is our litmus test for 2020 candidates.
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| Russia’s Deputy Premier Rips New Space Center Posted: 02 Sep 2019 06:12 AM PDT ![Russia's Deputy Premier Rips New Space Center]( "Russia's Deputy Premier Rips New Space Center") (Bloomberg) -- A series of corruption scandals, cost overruns and mishaps at Russia's new Vostochny Cosmodrome have brought long-simmering questions about the leadership of the country's space agency into public view."The situation is unacceptable for everyone, including the construction of the first stage and the second stage" of the space center, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov told Vedomosti newspaper in an interview published Monday, adding that the Defense Ministry may take over part of the work.Borisov, formerly a powerful and secretive official responsible for procurement at the Defense Ministry, became deputy prime minister last year in place of Dmitry Rogozin, who was appointed to head Roscosmos by President Vladimir Putin. While Russia views the cosmodrome as a national security priority, with its current Soviet-era launch base located at Baikonur in neighboring Kazakhstan, the $3 billion project has been plagued by controversy.Rogozin, who's frequently highlighted the threat posed by Elon Musk's SpaceX venture to Russia's launch industry, quickly took to Twitter to defend himself. "It's always been this way: some build, while others criticize," Rogozin wrote. "It's part of the business."Splits within the Kremlin elite have become more visible since Putin's re-election last year to what may be his final presidential term under Russia's constitution, amid jostling by rival factions. Last month, for example, Rostec State Corp. chief Sergey Chemezov, a longtime Putin ally and fellow spy, contradicted the official line that recent Moscow election protests should be put down forcefully, warning instead that the country risked stagnation without a healthy opposition.Putin ordered Russia's Investigative Committee to examine construction at Vostochny during a visit to the space center after a planned first rocket launch was delayed in 2015. Months earlier, workers who hadn't been paid for months went on hunger strike and appealed to Putin for help by painting a message on the roof of their barracks.The Prosecutor General's Office has opened a series of criminal cases after uncovering 10 billion rubles ($150 million) in losses during construction at Vostochny. In one sparkling example of corruption, a contractor accused of stealing 4 million rubles was detained in Minsk, Belarus, while driving a Mercedes covered in Swarovski crystals.While the space center went into operation in 2016, officials uncovered a critical defect on one of Vostochny's launchpads as recently as last November, RBC news website reported. In 2017, a satellite launch failed after the rocket was programmed with coordinates for takeoff from another launch pad.Alexei Kudrin, the head of Russia's Audit Chamber, told lawmakers last year that he had found 760 billion rubles ($11.4 billion) of financial violations in Roscosmos's books, including several billion that had been "basically stolen," describing the space agency as "the champion in terms of the scale of such violations." Roscosmos said the criticism related to a 2017 audit, before Rogozin's appointment.Rogozin, who was responsible as deputy premier for the space industry, threatened in 2015 to "rip off the heads" of construction staff involved in corruption after Vostochny risked having its electricity cut off over unpaid bills, according to the Interfax news service.\--With assistance from Ilya Arkhipov and Stepan Kravchenko.To contact the reporter on this story: Jake Rudnitsky in Moscow at jrudnitsky@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Torrey Clark at tclark8@bloomberg.net, Tony Halpin, Paul AbelskyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Police detain Russian opposition activist after Moscow protest Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:25 PM PDT ![Police detain Russian opposition activist after Moscow protest]( "Police detain Russian opposition activist after Moscow protest") Russian opposition activist Lyubov Sobol, an ally of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, was detained by police on Monday after a weekend protest in Moscow, Navalny's spokeswoman said on Twitter. A few thousand Russians took to the streets of Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections to the capital's city legislature on Sept. 8, defying a ban enforced by detentions during previous protests. Protesters have been calling for the release of activists detained in earlier rallies, and Sobol on Saturday described the arrests as "mayhem," blaming it on the city government.
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| More than 100 seal pups born in the Thames 60 years after the river was declared 'biologically dead' Posted: 01 Sep 2019 10:06 PM PDT  In 1957 the River Thames was so heavily polluted it was declared "biologically dead" by the Natural History Museum leaving hope for marine life lost. But now, more than 60 years after the museum's dismal proclamation, experts have counted over 100 seal pups on the river's shores. Scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), an international conservation charity, were "thrilled" to discover 138 pups on the sandbanks and creeks of the river in what is the first ever comprehensive count of the offspring. Using a light aircraft, they were able to capture images during pupping season of the harbour seals, also known as the common seal. The count is evidence that the London river's ecosystem has come back from the brink after the National History Museum said its low oxygen levels and polluted waters would mean nothing could survive in its murky tides. The pioneering research took place in 2018, with the data released for the first time today. It saw scientists carefully analyse hundreds of photos taken as part of UK-wide seal monitoring initiative. Explaining the decision to count using photographs, ZSL said it was "much easier, and so more accurate, to count the seals in photos instead of the constantly moving, playful creatures". Conservation Biologist, Thea Cox said: "We were thrilled to count 138 pups born in a single season" Credit: ZSL The figures are good news for the harbour seal population which was decimated by two local disease outbreaks of Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV) in 1988 and 2002. Conservation Biologist, Thea Cox said: "We were thrilled to count 138 pups born in a single season. "The seals would not be able to pup here at all without a reliable food source, so this demonstrates that the Thames ecosystem is thriving and shows just how far we have come since the river was declared biologically dead in the 1950s." Project Manager, Anna Cucknell, who leads ZSL's Thames conservation said: "Incredibly, harbour seal pups can swim within hours of birth which means they are well adapted to grow up in tidal estuaries, like the Thames. "By the time the tide comes in they can swim away on it. Grey seals, on the other hand, take longer to be comfortable in the water, so breed elsewhere and come to the Thames later to feed." While the Thames is home to both harbour seals and grey seals, only the former breed there. Thames seal population estimates have been conducted annually by ZSL since 2013. The most recent results, from 2017, recorded 1,104 harbour seals and 2,406 grey seals across the estuary. While population surveys indicate that numbers of pups are rising it is not yet known if this is due to resident seals having pups or from adults migrating from other regions where colonies are known to be dwindling. Found throughout the estuary and river, including in central London, the breeding survey allowed researchers to better understand the seals in the Thames and the reasons behind their changing numbers. As top predators, the harbour seals are a strong indicator of a complex estuarine environment. A researcher undertaking a seal survey Credit: ZSL Other species are also thriving in the river's ecosystem as Cucknell added that it is "an essential nursery habitat and home to many animals". These include more than 100 species of fish, including two species of shark, short-snouted seahorses and the Critically Endangered European eel. Last year the river even hosted a rare beluga whale named Benny for three months. While initially feared to be stuck, experts later found he was happily feeding on the plentiful fish in the stretch of the river by Gravesend. But, experts warn that marine life remains threatened. Last year, the RSPCA told the Telegraph that it was the worst year for seals encountering "horrifying" plastic-related injuries. The animal charity reported that six grey seals required urgent care in Norfolk after becoming trapped in plastic rubbish. In a bid to prevent similar incidents in the Thames, ZSL has spearheaded the OneLess campaign, which aims to free the capital from single use plastics. The charity have also set up a citizen-science led Outfall Safari to tackle pollution from misconnected sewerage pipes across London, where the public can systematically survey the outfalls in rivers to identify pollution and notify the relevant authorities.
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| Hong Kong police storm subway with batons as protests rage Posted: 31 Aug 2019 08:04 PM PDT  Protesters in Hong Kong threw gasoline bombs at government headquarters and set fires in the streets, while police stormed a subway car and hit passengers with batons and pepper spray in scenes that seem certain to inflame tensions further in a city riven by nearly three months of pro-democracy demonstrations. Police had denied permission for a march Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of a decision by China against fully democratic elections in Hong Kong, but protesters took to the streets anyway, as they have all summer. Late at night, though, video from Hong Kong broadcaster TVB showed police on the platform of Prince Edward subway station swinging batons at passengers who backed into one end of a train car behind umbrellas.
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| Texas gunman fired from job before massacre; victim IDs emerge, media report Posted: 02 Sep 2019 12:50 AM PDT ![Texas gunman fired from job before massacre; victim IDs emerge, media report]( "Texas gunman fired from job before massacre; victim IDs emerge, media report") The man who killed seven people and wounded 22 others in a rolling rampage across West Texas on Saturday was fired from his trucking job hours before the massacre, media and officials reported. Police continued to comb through 15 different crime scenes in neighboring Midland and Odessa, Texas. The gunman, identified by police as Seth Aaron Ator, 36, of Odessa, had been fired from his truck-driving job in Odessa on Saturday morning, the New York Times and other media reported.
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| Israel 'ruse' in spotlight after Lebanon flare-up Posted: 02 Sep 2019 08:17 AM PDT  Israeli troops roll a comrade wrapped in apparent blood-stained bandages on a stretcher, but the dramatic scene shot after a flare-up with Lebanon's Hezbollah may not have been what it seemed. Israeli media said the thinking may have been that faking casualties would de-escalate the situation by allowing Hezbollah to believe it had successfully carried out its revenge mission. There would then be time for Israel to respond.
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| At least 5 are dead in Bahamas as Hurricane Dorian continues to slam islands Posted: 02 Sep 2019 03:26 PM PDT  The historic storm hovered over the islands after virtually grinding to a halt, pounding the islands with record winds, rain and storm surge.
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| Ten children wounded after shooting at high school football match Posted: 02 Sep 2019 03:02 AM PDT  A shooting at a high school football game in Mobile, Alabama, on Friday night wounded at least 10 people, police said.The city's police chief, Lawrence Battiste, said at a news conference Friday that the victims were between 15 and 18 years old, according to local station WKRG 5. Their conditions were not immediately available.
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| Kevin Hart Could Require Back Surgery After Malibu Horror Crash, But Docs Are Optimistic Posted: 02 Sep 2019 05:20 AM PDT  Instagram / KevinHart4realComedian Kevin Hart is being assessed to see if he will require back surgery following his dramatic crash in the Malibu hills in the early hours of Sunday morning. Hart, miraculously, walked away from the crash, and was able to go back home before checking himself into an L.A.-area hospital, where he is now under observation. The other two passengers in the car appear to have also had lucky escapes, despite being trapped in the vehicle for some time: Hart's friend Jared Black (who was driving) and personal trainer Rebecca Broxterman are both expected to make full recoveries.Hart could, however, need surgery for major back injuries he suffered in the crash, which saw his vintage Plymouth Barracuda veer off a Mulholland Highway canyon, crashing to the ground ten feet below. Pictures showed the roof of the car completely sheared off. Doctors are optimistic that Hart will make a full recovery as he has not suffered "a spinal cord injury," The Blast reports, adding that he is "able to walk and move his extremities."Hart was a passenger in the vintage muscle car, which he bought in July to mark his 40th birthday, when it went off the road and rolled down an embankment.California Highway Patrol officers said the driver was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision, which happened at around around 12:45 a.m. Sunday.The car was turning when the driver "immediately lost control of the vehicle, and the Plymouth left the road and rolled over down the northern embankment," TMZ said, quoting cops.Just hours before the crash, Hart had posted a video on Instagram of himself sitting in the car. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| 15 years on, relatives of Beslan massacre victims demand answers Posted: 01 Sep 2019 09:39 AM PDT  Relatives of victims of the Beslan massacre on Sunday said they were still waiting for answers, 15 years after the tragedy that left over 330 dead including 186 children. Sunday marks the anniversary of the school siege in the town of Beslan in the Russian Caucasus when Chechen militants stormed the school, herding over 1,100 people into a gymnasium and rigging the building with explosives. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2017 that Russia's handling of the siege had "serious failings" in terms of its failure to prevent the attack and its use of excessive lethal force and called on Moscow to take measures to establish the truth.
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| Here's What A $9,500 GMC Typhoon Looks Like Posted: 02 Sep 2019 06:51 AM PDT ![Here's What A $9,500 GMC Typhoon Looks Like]( "Here's What A $9,500 GMC Typhoon Looks Like") Spoiler alert: it's in great shape!Despite being known for auctions of seven- and eight-figure price tags for cars, the 2019 Monterey Car Week, surprisingly, had no shortage of cars exchanging hands for four-figure amounts. The same can be said for this rare teal 1992 GMC Typhoon, although you weren't going to find this high-performance SUV crossing any auction blocks.Before heading to the Pebble Beach festivities, Tyler Hoover, of the Hoovie's Garage YouTube channel, bought the teal Typhoon from another YouTuber for the amazingly low sum of just $9,500. While it's not impossible to find a Typhoon in this type of price range, said examples are usually abused or modified and they are definitely not one of the Typhoon's rare colors as this one is. Unlike the Syclone pickup truck, the Typhoon was available in colors other than black, although black was, by far, the most popular color for this SUV.Teal with gray cladding was one of nine color combinations available on the Typhoon for the 1992 model year, and the video says that of the almost 2,500 Typhoons made that year, just 135 had this paint color. This model looks absolutely amazing, and it even still has the factory wheels. It's a really clean and straight truck considering the years and the price. Only available for the 1992 and 1993 model years, the GMC Typhoon – along with the 1991 Syclone – was one of the fastest vehicles of the era, and it was famous for having quicker acceleration than a Ferrari 348 or Corvette. That's thanks to the turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 and the standard all-wheel drive system allowing this compact SUV to rocket off the line.It's safe to assume that some of the low price can be accounted to a little exposure on the seller's behalf, but this is still a great deal for one of GM's greatest vehicles of the '90s. Read More... * A Storm Is Brewing Thanks To A 1993 GMC Typhoon * Another 1991 GMC Syclone Is Ready For A New Owner
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| Do I stay or do I go? For Joe Manchin, a big decision awaits Posted: 01 Sep 2019 05:38 AM PDT  Joe Manchin is once again at a career crossroads that says as much about the West Virginia politician as it does the state of American politics. The Democrat says he'll decide right after Labor Day whether to stick with being in the U.S. Senate, where he was just reelected for a six-year term, or make a run for West Virginia governor in 2020. In some ways, it's almost a risk-free political choice because Manchin can try to return to the governor's office, the job he had before joining the Senate, without forfeiting his Senate seat or complicating his party's drive to control Congress.
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| Hurricane Dorian path update shows Category 5 storm headed for direct hit on northern Bahamas Posted: 01 Sep 2019 08:19 AM PDT  An already dangerous Hurricane Dorian intensified yet again Sunday as it closed in on the northern Bahamas, threatening to batter islands with Category 5-strength winds, pounding waves and torrential rain as people hunkered down in schools, churches and other shelters.
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| Residents, protesters converge on Mong Kok Police Station to vent anger at Hong Kong officers Posted: 02 Sep 2019 07:32 AM PDT  The tense scene followed a stand-off earlier near Tamar Park in Admiralty.
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| 8 Tech Items That’ll Upgrade Your Living Space Posted: 02 Sep 2019 03:00 AM PDT |
| Hurricane Dorian heading to the Bahamas: What we know about its latest path Posted: 31 Aug 2019 08:53 PM PDT  The strengthened storm bears down on the Bahamas but may turn north before hitting Florida directly.
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| Brother of British woman killed by expat husband pleads with UAE judge for murder sentence Posted: 02 Sep 2019 10:26 AM PDT  The family of a murdered British woman has said Dubai will set a "dangerous" precedent if it releases her husband from prison this week, two years after he bludgeoned her to death with a hammer. Francis Matthew, 62, will fight his murder conviction on Wednesday on the grounds that his wife, Jane, provoked him during an argument at their Dubai family home. Two years into a potential 15 year sentence, his lawyers will claim she called him a "loser", which provoked the attack. Mrs Matthew's family criticised the proceedings, describing Dubai's legal system as "biased" and saying the defence was trying to "blame Jane for her own death". "The Dubai system is truly biased against Jane," said Peter Manning, brother of Mrs Matthew. In a letter seen by The Telegraph and sent to Dubai's Court of Cassation, the emirate's highest judicial body, Mr Manning said releasing Mr Matthew early would deny his sister justice. Francis was editor-at-large of Gulf News when he killed his wife, Jane, following an argument Credit: Telegraph "To excuse this crime in some way as being Jane's fault sends a clear message to husbands across the United Arab Emirates: you can kill your wife, even with a hammer, and all you have to do to escape justice is claim she 'demeaned you'," wrote Mr Manning. "This denies Jane her human right to life." He added, "It is very dangerous and completely opposite to the UAE's aim of being a modern, gender equal nation." Mr Matthew, a former Economist journalist and editor of Gulf News, hit his wife with a hammer in the early hours of the morning in June 2017 following an argument. Mr Matthew's original conviction of assault that led to death in March 2018 was upgraded to murder on appeal and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The Court of Cassation overturned the conviction and a panel of judges will review the case this week. His defence will argue that he is guilty of "physical assault that led to death". If the court agrees, he could walk free with time served. Francis is appealing for a lighter conviction, arguing that Jane provoked him by calling him a 'loser' Credit: Telegraph Mrs Matthew's family said her husband picked up a hammer in his kitchen and walked to the bedroom, where Mrs Matthew was lying in bed before attacking her with intent. After killing her, he showered and went to work as editor before staging a break-in on his return that evening. "As Jane's brother I am in no doubt that this was pre-meditated murder and I confirm that I wish to see Mr Matthew convicted of pre-meditated murder and jailed appropriately," said Mr Manning. "My father and I have been frustrated with the way the Court of First Instance allowed the defence to blame Jane for her own death." It is not clear what impact the letter will have and Dubai is yet to acknowledge it."If the court was open to justice they should be less willing to erect barriers to my letter," said Mr Manning. The Foreign Office said it is supporting Mrs Matthew's family and is in touch with the relevant local authorities.
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| Japan exhibition defends pulling 'comfort woman' statue, opponents decry censorship Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:41 AM PDT ![Japan exhibition defends pulling 'comfort woman' statue, opponents decry censorship]( "Japan exhibition defends pulling 'comfort woman' statue, opponents decry censorship") Organisers of a Japanese art exhibition who withdrew a statue symbolising "comfort women" defended their decision on Monday as justified given a crisis in ties between Japan and South Korea and arson threats, but opponents decried it as censorship. The term comfort women is a Japanese euphemism for women, many of them Korean, who were forced to work in Japan's World War Two brothels. The issue of the women is highly emotive for people in both countries, whose relations remains overshadowed by Japan's 1910-1945 colonisation of the Korean peninsula.
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| Pakistan grants India access to alleged spy on death row Posted: 02 Sep 2019 07:55 AM PDT  Pakistan granted consular access to an alleged Indian spy on death row Monday, sparking claims from New Delhi that the prisoner was under "extreme pressure" and unable to speak freely during the meeting. The consular visit comes weeks after the International Court of Justice in July ordered Islamabad to provide the prisoner and alleged spy -- Kulbhushan Jadhav -- with consular access but rejected India's demand he be freed. "While we await a comprehensive report, it was clear that Shri Jadhav appeared to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan's untenable claims," said India's foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar in a statement.
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